Climate Change Measures
NSK’s Approach
Promoting CO₂ Emissions Reductions through “Create” and “Utilize” Approach
As part of its response to the urgent issue of climate change, the NSK Group is helping to realize a sustainable society by implementing initiatives that go beyond its own activities and take into consideration the entire lifecycle of its products.
The NSK Group aims to contribute to the realization of a carbon neutral society by working to reduce CO2 emissions in both the “create” and “utilize” stages of its products. This includes enhancing product performance, promoting energy savings and technological innovations in the production process, and expanding the use of renewable energy. We are also intensifying efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in logistics and offices, with the goal of minimizing CO2 emissions across all business activities.
- This page explains CO2 emissions reductions in production. For information on contributing to CO2 emissions reductions through products and services, please see the page on Environmentally Friendly Products.
Environmentally Friendly Products
Information Disclosure Based on TCFD Recommendations
CO₂ Reduction Targets and Progress
- Aim to reduce Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 50% by FY2026 from FY2017 levels.
- Aim to achieve carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 by FY2035.
- Additionally, aim to work to reduce Scope 3 CO2 emissions, which include the upstream supply chain, and contribute to the goal set by global society of net zero CO2 emissions by FY2050.
Initiatives
Initiatives on “Create” Approach
Energy Saving Initiatives
We are working on improving air conditioning efficiency by introducing high-efficiency equipment and applying thermal insulation paint, reducing air usage, and advancing energy management through visualization of production energy.
- Improving Air-Conditioning Efficiency
At NSK’s plants, we are improving the energy efficiency of air conditioning systems by switching the heat source from gas to electricity, and by changing from shielding paint to thermal insulation paint, we are improving air conditioning efficiency in both summer and winter.
- Visualizing Energy Usage
At Suzhou NSK Bearings Co., Ltd. in China, we are assessing the energy efficiency of production lines and equipment, discovering and reducing wastage by correlating the electricity usage and operational status of each line and piece of equipment. At the NSK Saitama Plant in Japan, we are developing a new system that is even more advanced. In addition to electricity, we are also working to visualize the usage of air and fuel gas.
- Coating Plant Roofs with Thermal Insulation Paint
Coating plant roofs with thermal insulation paint not only reduces radiant heat caused by sunlight in summer but also prevents heat loss in winter. Since it has proved effective after application at NSK Saitama Plant, we are in the process of rolling it out to the Fukushima Plant and other plants. We also plan to apply this coating to the exterior walls of heat treatment furnaces to improve the work environment and reduce the risk of burns.
Thermal insulation paint on the roof of the Saitama Plant
Technological Innovation
- Adopting High-Frequency Induction Heat Treatment
The heat treatment process accounts for 22% of the NSK Group’s total energy consumption. Since high-frequency induction heat treatment only heats the target part, without heating the entire conventional furnace, we expect it to reduce energy consumption significantly and make a substantial contribution to reducing Scope 1 emissions. We have already introduced this method at the NSK Ishibe Plant, and we are gradually rolling it out to more products and other plants.
We will also work to reduce CO2 emissions by improving productivity through the use of digital technology and other means to super-stabilize production.
Introduction of Renewable Energy
In Europe, a leading region in renewable energy, we have switched to 100% CO2-free electricity at all production sites. We are also accelerating its adoption in Japan. Additionally, we are gradually expanding the installation of solar power generation equipment at our production sites and offices worldwide.
