Because cars have an environmental impact over their entire life cycle – in development, production, use and disposal – Mitsubishi is reviewing and implementing strategies at each stage, to manage responsibly the effects of that impact and reduce them where possible.

Mitsubishi’s global focus is to encourage all its subsidiaries and affiliates to comply with international environmental management standards.

Mitsubishi achieved ISO 14001 certification for all its manufacturing plants in Japan in 1998. In October 2005 it also received ISO 14001 certification for its research and development plants.

Under EIP 2010, Mitsubishi established a Green Procurement initiative to promote the acquisition of ISO 14001 by all its suppliers, 97% of whom had achieved this by fiscal year end 2006.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method for quantifying the environmental impact of a product over its entire life cycle, from production to disposal.

This initiative ties in with Mitsubishi’s emphasis on eco-friendly design, or Design for the Environment (DfE). Its aim is to reduce the levels of harmful pollutants released into the environment during the manufacturing process and throughout the life of a product.

EIP 2010 promotes the adoption of DfE principles, beginning with LCA of CO2 emissions. Mitsubishi has begun research into LCA to determine how best to record and apply data to efficiently reduce the impact of the company’s manufacturing processes and products.