As part of the ‘Asia-Pacific Climate Change Leaders’ survey conducted jointly by the
Financial Times and Statista, Japan-headquartered NSK is proud to report its
selection in the top 275 companies able to demonstrate outstanding environmental
achievements around the globe.
To become part of this prestigious ranking, companies had to show significant progress in reducing their emissions intensity of Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gases from 2016 to 2021. As a point of note, emissions intensity is the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions per net sales. NSK gained recognition for reducing its emissions intensity through various initiatives during the review period.
Core to the company’s success in carbon reduction is its promotion of ESG (environmental, social and governance) management throughout the NSK group. More specifically, the company is working on environmental conservation as part of comprehensive environmental measures under NSK’s ‘Create and Utilise’ approach.
‘Utilise’ refers to the use of NSK products by customers and end users, resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Here, the quality and efficiency of NSK products, such as bearings, ball screws and linear guides, contributes directly to reducing energy loss in machinery and equipment. ‘Utilise’ also includes customer support strategies such as condition monitoring and reconditioning, which help to improve product reliability and conserve resources. A good example is the reworking of bearing surfaces to allow their reuse.
‘Create’ is about manufacturing NSK products in carbon-neutral factories. Throughout the world, NSK is accelerating the reduction of CO2 emissions by introducing high-efficiency production equipment at many of the company’s sites. Among several notable initiatives is using energy-efficient air conditioning and lighting, installing solar panels, and switching to electricity derived from renewable energy sources. This approach also applies to the company’s supply chain. In Europe, for example, 30% of NSK’s bearing production uses low CO2 emission ‘green’ steel produced at carbon-neutral plants, while the company also has more than 95% supplier sign-up to NSK’s Green Procurement Standard. In addition, ‘Create’ embraces R&D strategies, among the examples of which is NSK’s commitment to advanced tribology technologies that deliver higher energy savings.
Moving forward, NSK will continue contributing to a sustainable society by leveraging technological capabilities that help preserve the global environment. This ethos will help the company achieve a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 by FY2026 (in comparison with FY2017 levels), and Scope 1 and 2 carbon neutrality by FY2035.
