Besides cutting pollutants in exhaust emissions, Mitsubishi’s environmental activities are focussed on reducing and eliminating from raw materials and vehicle production the use of substances that can pollute the air, ground or water and adversely affect human health.
In addition, Mitsubishi has shifted its global emphasis towards trying to prevent future environmental pollution by registering all chemicals it uses in manufacturing, and by conducting research to determine any related effects in advance.
The term Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) is often used in a legal or regulatory context. Simply, it is an organic compound that can vaporize under normal atmospheric conditions. VOCs are commonly found in products like paints and solvents. For more information check the link below.
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
To reduce VOC emissions Mitsubishi has undertaken major programmes to cut paint consumption and ensure greater recycling of thinners.
To achieve its 2010 target of reducing emissions to less than 70% of 2000 levels, Mitsubishi is introducing more efficient painting equipment and methods, using less solvent to clean paint guns, recovering a greater volume of thinners used in washing and introducing water-based paints.
At the 2006 launch of i-car Mitsubishi met (a year earlier than targetted) the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) voluntary requirements for vehicle interior VOC levels. For more information check the link below.
http://www.jama-english.jp/release/release/2006/060331.html
The European Union's 2000 directive on end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) has in principle banned the use of lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium from EU markets since July 2003.
JAMA followed suit, setting voluntary targets for phasing out these hazardous substances.
Mitsubishi is close to eliminating them in all markets.
Mitsubishi also operates a chemical management system whereby any compound due to be introduced into production is pre-screened for toxicity to determine whether or not it is safe to use.
An international database, accessible through the International Material Data System (IMDS), compiles information on hazardous substances contained in parts from suppliers. For more information check the link below.
By applying chemical management controls, Mitsubishi has been able to reduce the amount of Pollutant Release and Transfer Register-designated (PRTR) substances emitted or transferred in the course of the production process.
A PRTR is a national or regional environmental database or inventory of potentially hazardous chemical substances and/or pollutants released to air, water or soil and transferred off-site for treatment or disposal. Check link below for more details.
http://www.prtr.net/prtr/index_e.cfm
Mitsubishi is applying controls for storage of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contained in insulating oil devices such as transformers and capacitors. For more information on PCBs and their effects check the link below.
Mitsubishi is surveying all production facilities and buildings where asbestos fibres may have been dispersed via airborne diffusion. The company is switching to non-asbestos alternatives across its production sites, while seeking to eliminate risk of fibre dispersion from existing equipment.
As a participant in the government-funded Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration (JHFC) Project, Mitsubishi has developed a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) prototype based on the Grandis minivan.
This is the name given to the plant-based materials Mitsubishi is developing and using in automotive interiors to gradually replace petrol-based resins. Examples include interior components which use a combination of bamboo fibre and the plant-based resin polybutylene succinate (PBS), and floor mats made from polylactic acid (PLA) fibre.
Switching to PLA, made with lactic acid produced from fermented cane sugar or corn, reduces life cycle CO2 emissions by 40% over widely used petroleum-based polypropylene.
PLA use has also cut Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) levels by more than 50%, compared with current floor mats.
Green Plastic made its debut in the i-car in 2006, and Mitsubishi will continue to extend this product range.
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