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I have worked at Mitsubishi Electric for over two years now and over this time I have noted the following statement (or variations of this statement) underpinning everything we produce and present.

"Mitsubishi Electric Europe is committed to continued improvement in every element of our business, increasing our environmental awareness, reducing our environmental impact and preventing pollution."

So I wanted to investigate further how exactly we fulfil this statement, and these are my findings below…

 

The individual

As an employee in the business, I have found that it is acknowledged that our actions are significant in helping reduce our environmental footprint and we are encouraged to work with this consideration in our day-to-day activities. This includes using onsite recycling points – and ensuring we put the right item in the right bin, and disposing of hazardous waste (like household batteries) in the correct manner.

To understand all these considerations (there are six to be exact) please see the gallery below which makes up the “Count Me In” philosophy that we engage with on a daily basis. 

Waste

Waste is properly disposed of via recycling bins.

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Waste3

Water

We ensure that water is efficiently used and we also harvest rainwater.

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Water

Energy

We ensure laptops, monitors, lights and any other electrical equipment are turned off when not in use.

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Energy

Travel

CO2 emissions are calculated from company car journeys and business travel and we are encouraged to use onsite video conferencing facilities.

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Travel

Biodiversity

At three of our locations, we have a wormery, while at our Hatfield headquarters we have a bug hotel, apple orchard and beehives which make up our Wild Meadow – A fantastic place for us all to use.

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Biodiversity

Health

We are encouraged to take care of our health and well-being by utilising the local corporate gym membership discount. We also hold Carbon Saving days at our offices which encourage everyone to walk or cycle to work.

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Health

The company

Delving further into Mitsubishi Electric as a business, I discovered quite easily that it has a Carbon Trust Certification and an ISO14001 accreditation which ensures a top level selection of environmental representatives and signed commitment statements.

It also has a policy called “Global Environmental Vision 2021” which is the long-term environmental management vision. The policy follows a set of guidelines regarding making positive contributions to the earth and its people through technology and action. This means we aim to make a sustainable society a reality – something I’m definitely happy to back!

The Vision sets 2021 as its target year and commits to deliver the following:

  • Reduce CO2 emissions from product use by 30% compared to the fiscal year 2000
  • Reduce CO2 emissions from production by 30%
  • Reduce CO2 from power generation by improving generating efficiency of technologies
  • Run educational and leadership training for children to nurture environmental awareness in the next generation – This is what we here in the UK call The Learning Curve
The Learning Curve Children

The Learning Curve

The Learning Curve is an educational and leadership training programme for children aimed at nurturing environmental awareness

The way we do business

The Mitsubishi Electric environmental vision extends well beyond the core of the company and with the establishment of the Green Gateway in our Living Environment Systems division, we aim to try and change the behaviour of others too.

The Green Gateway philosophy aims to change behaviour through debate and increased understanding of the crucial issues we are all currently facing. It is guided by five core principles which provide the compass for the way we do business.

These principles are explained in more detail in the Green Gateway brochure, downloadable from the dedicated website.

Green Gateway is constantly evolving with the changing topics that affect the world, but its core goals will always remain the same.

Going forward

So what I have discovered from my findings?

It is pretty clear that at Mitsubishi Electric the environmental policies are already well established and our acceptance of our corporate social responsibility is important to our overall business model. They are issues that are taken seriously by individual members of staff and by the business - and they impact on how we work with our stakeholders/do business.

What’s more is that it will continue moving forward as the UK and the wider world, faces environmental challenges head on!

Ellina Webb is a Marketing Specialist at Mitsubishi Electric

If you have any questions about this article or want to know more, please email us. We will contact the author and will get back to you as soon as we can.