In addition to its ongoing efforts to improve the environmental performance of its automobile, motorcycle and power equipment products, Honda is working to reduce the environmental impact of its factories and other work facilities through its "Green Factories" and "Green Buildings" initiatives. This includes increasing energy efficiency, reducing waste and enhancing recycling activities. Through its "Green Purchasing" program, Honda also encourages and supports activities by its more than 600 North American OEM parts suppliers to adopt green factory programs.
GREEN FACTORY
Through Honda's "Green Factory" initiatives, every Honda manufacturing plant works to reduce the environmental impact of its operations, including emissions reduction, energy efficiency improvement, and recycling of manufacturing byproducts.
- Since April 1, 2011, ten of 14 Honda plants in North America have been operating with absolutely zero waste sent to landfills.
- Total landfill waste from automobile manufacturing operations in North America has been reduced 93.9% from 2001 levels to less than 2.4 kilograms per auto in FY2011.
- Total waste to landfills for all manufacturing operations in North America, including power equipment products, has been reduced 91.9% during the same period.
- Honda of America Manufacturing's two auto plants, in East Liberty and Marysville, Ohio, have earned Energy Star awards from the U.S. EPA for five consecutive years, beginning in 2007 when the EPA first established the award program.
- Thirteen of Honda's fourteen North American manufacturing plants have earned third-party IS14001 certification for environmental management systems.
- Energy efficiency initiatives include the use of more energy-efficient light fixtures, increased use of variable speed drives, and improvements to the efficiency of compressed air systems, chiller systems and HVAC systems.
- Honda in 2009 began implementing a new auto body paint booth air-conditioning control technology called "Intelligent Paint Booth Technology," which uses a predictive algorithm to reduce the energy required to condition (heat/cool, humidify/dehumidify) the air in paint booths, reducing CO2 emissions by as much as 25%. The system, first implemented at Honda's Marysville, Ohio auto plant, can cut CO2 emissions from one paint booth by as much as 10,000 metric tons annually, roughly equivalent to the average energy use of 100 U.S. homes. Honda is implementing this technology at all seven of its automobile plants in North America.
GREEN PURCHASING
- Honda encourages its suppliers to reduce packaging waste, adopt more energy-efficient processes and obtain third-party IS14001 certification.
- Eighty-eight percent of Honda's total North American OEM supply chain is ISO14001 certified.
- Since 2001, Honda has used its "Honda Green Purchasing Guidelines" to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts from its 600 OEM parts suppliers in North America.
- Honda has also initiated a "Supplier Sustainability and Greenhouse Gas Initiative" with the aim of achieving best-in-class environmental performance in its North America supply chain.
GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVES
- Honda has been building "green" since 1999 when the company built its first LEED® certified building in Gresham, Oregon. The Gresham facility was the first mixed-used industrial building in America to earn LEED®-Gold certification, and in 2008 became the first facility in the auto industry to earn LEED®-Platinum certification.
- Two of American Honda's regional parts distribution centers, the Gresham facility and a second facility in Davenport, Iowa, in 2012 earned EPA Energy Star awards.
- Gresham has reduced its average annual energy use by 384,000 kilowatt-hours for a total reduction in CO2 emissions of 790 metric tons since 2008.
- Davenport has adopted more energy-efficient lighting systems and has reduced its yearly electricity consumption by more than 922,000 kWh, or 31%, from previous levels, cutting annual CO2 emissions by an estimated 766 metric tons.
- Honda has 12 facilities in North America that are LEED® certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, the most of any automaker operating in the region:
- American Honda Finance Corporation's Central Atlantic regional office in Charlotte, NC (LEED Gold since June 2012)
- Honda engineering America's Powertrain Engineering Division in Anna, Ohi(LEED Gold since 2011)
- Honda Canada headquarters in Markham, Ontari(LEED Gold since 2011)
- Northwest Regional Center in Gresham, Oregon (LEED Platinum)
- Honda Manufacturing Indiana's Welcome Center in Greensburg, Ind., (LEED since 2010)
- Honda R&D America's Marine Engine Research Facility in Grant-Valkaria, Florida (LEED Gold since 2010)
- Honda Financial Service's Mid-Atlantic Facility in Wilmington, Del. (LEED CI-Gold since 2009)
- American Honda's Northwest Regional Facility in Gresham, Oregon (LEED Gold in 2002, LEED Platinum since 2008)
- Honda Aircraft Company's world headquarters in Greensboro, NC (LEED Gold since 2008)
- American Honda's Midwestern Consolidation Center in Troy, Ohio (LEED Gold since 2008)
- American Honda's Data Center in Longmont, Colo. (first LEED Version 2.2 Silver-certified data center in the U.S.)
- Honda R&D Americas' Central Plant facility in Raymond, Ohio (LEED-Gold since 2008)
- Honda R&D America's Acura Design Studio in Torrance, Calif. (LEED Gold since 2008)
- Among many site-specific efficiencies and innovations, these facilities share common sustainable features such as:
- Energy Star highly reflective roof and dual-paned windows with low-emissivity glass to reduce solar heat gain
- Extensive use of recycled and recyclable materials in the building envelope and interior
- Use of U.S. steel, guaranteed to contain at minimum 25 percent, and often as much as 90 percent, recycled content
- Energy-efficient light fixtures with motion sensors
- Diversion of construction waste from landfills to recycling centers
- Selection of suppliers based on the high level of recycled content of their products and their proximity to the job site.
- A few of the unique features at Honda's certified buildings include:
- Acura Design Studio's high-efficiency displacement ventilation system that moves cool air from rooftop air conditioning units tlarge, floor-level grills, where it displaces heat from the human body.
- The 547,000 square-foot Midwestern Consolidation Center has a mezzanine made from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as having come from sustainably-managed forest lands.
- Honda R&D's Central Plant uses an ice chiller system that reduces peak energy demand from air conditioning by as much as half.
- Honda is beginning to deploy Honda-developed CIGS solar cells at its facilities in North America.
- The headquarters of Honda Performance Development, Honda's advanced motorsports engineering subsidiary in Santa Clarita, Calif., in late 2011 completed the installation of a 100-kilowatt, 800-cell array of thin film CIGS solar panels.
- American Honda in April 2012 launched its first-ever "green dealer" program. Introduced
- The Honda Environmental Leadership Award and Acura Environmental Leadership Award are given to dealers who quantifiably reduce their environmental impact, beginning with Silver Award for dealers who achieve a minimum 10 percent reduction in total energy.
- Higher level awards are: Gold – for dealers that achieve continuous improvement in their reduction and conservation goals above and beyond the Silver level; and Platinum – for dealers whose facilities earn LEED® certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
- Ten dealers have already received the awards, 18 more have applied to be in the program, and more than 200 dealers have independently developed initiatives to reduce their environmental impact.
- The company uses a third party evaluator to conduct environmental audits of participating dealers and recommend strategies for reducing their energy use.