Panasonic Declares Environmental Initiatives at 'Eco Ideas Factory Biwako'

Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, June 5, 2008 - (JCN Newswire) - Panasonic, the leading brand by which Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is known, today announced an environmental statement that outlines the company's mid- and long-term environmental management plans. The Kusatsu Factory of Matsushita Home Appliances Company (HA Company) in Shiga Prefecture was named the "Eco Ideas Factory Biwako" (Lake Biwa). The Eco Ideas Factory will help to realize three of Panasonic's pivotal eco concepts: "eco ideas for manufacturing," "eco ideas for products," and "eco ideas for everybody, everywhere."

The environmental statement includes three main themes - harmonious coexistence with the global environment, contribution as a global company to local communities, and implementation of ecological lifestyles as member residents of communities.

HA Company, a division company of Matsushita, has just completed consolidating its headquarters and engineering departments at Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture in March 2008. Environmental issues have long been a company priority and the company recently renewed its commitment to the environment. As part of Panasonic, the company will be expected to implement mid- and long-term environmental programs centering on the Eco Ideas Factory Biwako and later expanding these commitments to its global sites. The company has set the following targets to implement Panasonic's environmental statement.

1. Eco Ideas for Manufacturing

HA Company's entire manufacturing processes will be reviewed, including design and manufacturing methods by focusing on casting, air-pressing, molding and coating processes. The target is to eliminate 29,000 tons of CO2 emissions between the end of March 2007 and March 2010 (FY 2007 to FY 2010). This amount corresponds to a 23% reduction in CO2 emissions per basic unit.

2. Eco Ideas for Products

HA Company will continue to develop more energy-efficient products to encourage consumers to use eco-friendly products. The final aim is to cut household CO2 emissions. Core environmental technologies include the heat pump core technologies that enable efficient energy use, heat insulation core technologies that reduce energy waste, and energy creation core technologies that provide new energy sources for home use fuel cell cogeneration systems.

With regards to the five products (air conditioners, refrigerators, rice cookers, microwave ovens, and hygienic toilet seats) listed in the Energy Conservation Performance Catalog issued by the Energy Conservation Center, Japan, in FY 2010, HA Company will increase the number of models with high energy-saving performance and eliminate those of lower performance.

3. Eco Ideas for Everybody, Everywhere

HA Company plans to fulfill this commitment through environmental education, closer contact with regional communities, creation of a better environment, and the spread of environmental awareness.

(1) Environmental education
The company will hold eco factory tours for students to encourage them to think about the global environment and experience energy-saving technologies for themselves. There will also be dietary education programs to provide children the opportunities to understand the importance of eating locally produced seasonal foods, which leads to an ecologically sustainable diet.

(2) Closer contact with regional communities
The Lake Biwa Eco-Ideas Club, a non-profit organization (NPO), has been established to help preserve the water quality of Lake Biwa and, together with the local residents, to protect its ecosystem.

HA Company also holds environmental meetings with neighborhood associations and participates with local residents in clean-up campaigns organized by communities and the Kusatsu City Children's Convention for the Environment.

Another community initiative is to collect used cooking oil from the company cafeteria and employees' households to be turned into biofuel for trucks and local bus transportation.

(3) Creation of a better environment
To create a factory open to community residents, the company plans to enrich the green environment within factory premises. This year, the sports ground adjacent to the factory will be transformed into a multi-purpose facility and will be made available for sporting and other social events held by nearby communities.

(4) Spreading environmental awareness
Here, the main initiative of HA Company is the promotion of the "Love the Earth Citizens' Campaign." This campaign consists of ideas such as the "Household Eco-account Book Program" and other environmental volunteer activities.