Environmental Value Creation Initiatives
The Hitachi Construction Machinery Group is aiming for a sustainable society and working to create environmental value.
We are formulating an environmental strategy to achieve an environmental vision based on the three key themes of “Decarbonized Society”, “Resource Efficient Society” and “Harmonized Society with Nature.”
This environmental strategy is to address social issues through Hitachi Construction Machinery’s businesses, products, and solutions. We have concentrated these long-term targets into a medium-term plan and environmental action plan for individual fiscal years, while formulating four categories and more than 30 KPIs to promote environmental conservation activities.
Environmental Strategy Policies
Moving towards the realization of a decarbonized/recycling-oriented society which is strong on climate change, efforts to build “environmentally conscious infrastructure” are expanding globally.
Together with our stakeholders, we intend to pursue decarbonized/resource recycling in global infrastructure development through “construction machinery and systems equipped with superior environmental technology” and “development with the vision to solve environmental issues,” as well as contributing to infrastructure that can respond to disasters caused by climate change.
Our three policies aimed at creating environmental value
- Manufacturing of Construction Equipment
– Work with our suppliers to realize a highly streamlined supply chain that lowers environmental impact. - Utilization of Construction Equipment
– Collaborate with our customers to increase the efficiency of construction machinery and systems during use.
– Improve infrastructure and business processes that positively contribute to the environment. - Challenge with and through Construction Equipment
– Together with people around the world, face the challenge of creating environmentally-friendly infrastructure in new fields and areas.
These policies are directly connected to Hitachi Construction Machinery Group’s long-term corporate value creation aimed at “To pass on a productive environment and prosperous cities to future generations. Hitachi Construction Machinery Group helps to create comfortable living spaces.”
Hitachi Construction Machinery Group Products and Environmental Value
Hitachi Construction Machinery Group is working towards the realization of a decarbonized, recycling-oriented society, and coming from both product and solution angles in its three product themes, is tackling the task of creating environmental value via its business.
The Specifics of Environmental Risks and Opportunities
Policy for Environmental Risks and Opportunities
Hitachi Construction Machinery Group has positioned the uncertainty attributable to “climate change” and “water” as a serious management task in addition to the environmental risk analysis that we have conducted to date, and are formulating a CSV strategy aimed at minimizing the risks of “climate change” and “water”, while maximizing our business opportunities.
As we examine risks and opportunities under the categories of “regulation”, “physical impact”, and “others”, we quantitatively analyze occurrence frequency, occurrence time as well as impact level, and determine materiality.
1. Climate Change Risks and Opportunities
Hitachi Construction Machinery has organized a task force within the company to identify risks and opportunities with a large financial impact by performing quantitative analysis of policy and regulatory risks, technical risks, market risks and reputation risks in the 2°C scenario, and the urgent risk and chronic risk of physical risks in the 4°C scenario. Typical risks in the 2°C scenario and the 4°C scenario are as follows.
Regulatory Risks and Opportunities
Restrictions regarding fuel consumption, CO2 and air pollution and regulations such as carbon taxes are being introduced globally, and these are affecting business practices with respect to products and factories. However, we believe that promoting the development of decarbonization technologies, energy-saving performance and cleaner emissions of products and services will lead to product competitiveness and further business opportunities. We believe that regulations and taxation systems that are adopted in countries around the world will bring risks and opportunities for Hitachi Construction Machinery’s business operations such as products and production.
Risks and Opportunities Presented by Physical Factors
Extreme weather that is a frequent occurrence in recent years is said to be one of the effects of global warming. Owing to large typhoons and the flooding of rivers, production activities at plants, and transportation of parts and products, etc. have been affected throughout the supply chain. It is thought that the impact of such abnormal weather will become a risk for business continuity.
Meanwhile, countries and regions are beginning to promote adaptation of measures to circumvent and mitigate damage caused by the impact of climate change. The disaster prevention and reduction technologies, products, and solutions that Hitachi Construction Machinery Group has been working on can contribute to adaptation, and we believe this will be a new business opportunity for Our Group.
2. Water-Related Risks and Opportunities
Initiatives for Water-Related Risks and Opportunities
Hitachi Construction Machinery Group recognizes that the shortage of water resources is a serious environmental issue equivalent to climate change. The waste and contamination of water resources will present a serious crisis not only to our own production activities but also to local communities. Our Group has conducted activities analyzing water intake risks utilizing the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas Tool at individual production plants and has attained a thorough understanding of the importance of water in each area. Hitachi Construction Machinery Group has conducted activities analyzing water intake risks utilizing the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas Tool at individual production plants and has attained a thorough understanding of the importance of water in each area.
We consider water risk as the water intake and drainage in a region with a production base. The amount of water intake is controlled on a per-unit basis, and for wastewater, a voluntary standard value is set, and measures have been taken to ensure thorough on-site treatment.
However, infrastructure development for water shortages, floods, etc. is required throughout the world. Hitachi Construction Machinery believes that contributing to infrastructure development including water access and forest conservation through products and solutions will lead to the expansion of business opportunities.