Activities towards Global Responsible Business (GRB) Environmental Goals
Introduction
Climate change is a global issue that impacts the sustainability of society, and it is closely related to water and resource recycling issues. Engaging in global environmental conservation is essential for achieving Our Purpose. The Fujitsu Group does its utmost to reduce environmental impact and minimize risks throughout the value chain, and we contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by solving environmental issues together with our customers.
To Reduce GHG Emissions in Accordance With 1.5℃ Target
Updating Medium- and Long-term Goals
In May 2017, the Fujitsu Group formulated the FUJITSU Climate and Energy Vision as our medium- to long-term environmental vision. In August 2017, we acquired SBT certification (2℃-aligned) for our reduction standard by 2030. As the movement toward carbon neutrality accelerated, we reconsidered the role that the Fujitsu Group must fulfill, and in April 2021 we raised our GHG emissions reduction target for 2030 from a 33% reduction compared to FY 2013 to a 71.4% reduction. This reduction target has been certified as 1.5℃-aligned by SBTi. In June 2022, we submitted a commitment letter to the SBT Initiative towards the Net-Zero targets and it was received.
Roadmap to 2050 for achieving our own zero CO2 emissions
Initiatives for Achieving Goals
Exterior of Kawasaki Plant
Since 2018, the Fujitsu Group has been a member of the international initiative RE100, which aims to popularize and expand renewable energy. Up until now, we have focused on our sites in Europe and the United States; however, promoting use in Japan has been an issue. In response, in FY 2020, we converted to 100% renewable energy at three domestic system laboratories (Aomori, Kumamoto, Oita) which use a large amount of energy as offices. In FY 2021, we converted to 100% renewable energy at the Kawasaki Plant, which is our headquarters, and essentially converted to renewable energy for all power used at floors contracted by the Fujitsu Group at the Shiodome City Center, which is our head office.
- Fujitsu Group Sustainability Data Book 2021 (p.5-3-3-12)
(Examples of Initiatives in FY 2020: Introduction of Green Power)
- Fujitsu Group's Largest Facility to Source 100% of its Energy Needs from Renewables, Demonstrating Commitment to Achievement of RE100
- Fujitsu Sources 100% of Energy Needs for Global HQ from Renewables
Avoiding Risks Associated with Business Activities and Minimizing Environmental Impact (Water Risk Countermeasures)
The Fujitsu Group conducts flooding damage impact assessments for each business site according to the level of business impact using hazard maps and implements countermeasures. We determine whether each business site falls within the "estimated flood inundation area (planned scale: once every 10–100 years or assumed maximum scale: once every 1,000 years)" for nearby rivers as established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism or prefectural governments. We also assess what the impact will be on-site and off-site, and whether there will be an impact from water ingress in buildings, etc. We then use a four-point scale to rank the business sites with a high level of impact. For sites that correspond with the most hazardous level, we assign a four and then take various measures to reduce risk, such as protecting the site perimeter with retaining walls and watertight panels.
Sliding gates
Removable watertight panels
Gates that can be raised and lowered
Examples of Contribution to Solving Environmental Issues of Customers and Society Through Business
Achieving Environmental Value Trading Such as CO2 Reductions, for Which Global Demand is Remarkable
In April 2022, IHI Corporation and Fujitsu launched a joint business project with the aim of contributing to the realization of a carbon-neutral society and to revitalize the market of environmental value trading(*1) ecosystems. Under this joint project, IHI and Fujitsu will work toward the commercialization and promotion of an environmental value distribution platform by leveraging their business knowledge in blockchain technology and new carbon neutrality technology. These efforts will be targeted at aspects of the environmental value trading market such as the efficient reduction of CO2 across corporations and countries, which is a theme for which initiatives are being conducted on a global scale. Specifically, the two parties will create tokens(*2) expressing the environment value of CO2 reduction as calculated from data through IHI's IoT platform ILIPS (IHI group Lifecycle Partner System) and establish a platform for distributing these tokens to the environmental value trading market by leveraging Fujitsu's ConnectionChain security technology to safely interconnect various blockchains, thereby aiming for the efficient distribution of environmental value.
The two companies will aim to efficiently distribute environmental value such as CO2 reductions created by companies around the world through the platform that will be launched through this joint business project, and contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society, which is a common global goal.
- (*1)Environmental value trading: Trading in which parties measure and certify the amount of emission reduction, absorption, or removal for substances such as CO2, and acquire rights for the decarbonization effect as tradable value.
- (*2)Token: Digitized rights and assets independently issued by companies and organizations using blockchain technology.
Image of market utilizing the new environmental value distribution platform
Joint Field Trial Project Aimed at Environmental Value Distribution Among Households and Companies
TEPCO Energy Partner, Inc., GridShare Japan Corporation (a 100% subsidiary of ITOCHU Corporation), Ridgelinez Limited, and Fujitsu conducted a field trial aimed at the distribution of environmental value between households and businesses, with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality. Until now, households have not utilized the environmental value generated during self-consumption of electricity from photovoltaic power generation. From November 2019, in conjunction with the end of the Feed-in Tariff Scheme for Renewable Energy (FIT) period, the unit price of electricity sold will be lower than during the FIT period. Therefore, we assume that the environmental value that is not used during self-consumption will increase even further. In the joint field trial project, in order to solve the problem in which precious environmental value is not being utilized, we devised an app that converts the environmental value generated during self-consumption into tokens (crypto assets), and then uses those tokens to support companies that contribute to the SDGs. With the aim of directing users' attention to the environmental value of self-consumption that has been unutilized thus far, use tokens as a form of visualization and created an app that allows users to continuously enjoy a series of events consisting of collecting more tokens in conjunction with a greater amount of self-consumption, using those tokens to support corporations, and then receiving novelties gifts from companies. By using blockchain in this app, we are able to perform the integrated process of collecting self-consumption data of solar power generation, and managing and issuing environmental value certificates. In addition to users having fun with this app, corporations are also able to collect precious environmental value and utilize it for initiatives such as RE100. Other benefits include the ability to gain understanding for corporate environmental contribution activities through the app, and the ability of corporations to heighten engagement with users through novelty gifts.
This joint field trial project had a one-month field trial period from February 14, 2022 to March 21, 2022, which includes the questionnaire response period. About 200 monitors from ordinary households participated in the project. When a monitor actually consumes the electricity generated by the solar power generation, a token called Ohisama Coin is collected. The "Ohisama Coin" is used to virtually support three projects: (1) Kawasaki Frontale, (2) Cool Japan, and (3) Mothers and Children in Africa. (The African Mother and Child Support Project is being exhibited on the Web at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) by the Japanese government, and future collaboration is also being considered.) By examining the results of the joint field trial, we were able to identify current issues with systems and apps, as well as issues with future business development. We are currently considering holding new field trials from FY 2022.
(a) Issues after post-FIT at ordinary households
(b) Image of screen for the Ohisama Coin token app
(c) Flow of tokens
ENERES Co., Ltd. and Fujitsu have applied blockchain technology to develop a system that realizes the trading of insufficient and surplus power among power consumers. Specifically, in response to requests from power transmission and distribution companies to curb demand-side power when supply-side power is in short supply, we operated cogeneration(*5) power generators at Fujitsu's Numazu Plant. We have been working on the VPP/DR field trial for seven years, from the negawatt trading(*6) field trial in 2015 to the power supply severe weather adjustment capacity(*7) for Power I' (ability to adjust to sudden increases in demand in the event of a once-in-a-decade heat wave or severe winter) in 2021. In this field trial, in addition to acquiring incentives through the effective use of cogeneration, we also utilized distributed power sources to solve the environmental issue and social issue of securing power supply adjustment capacity to respond to the sudden increase in demand during severe weather in the TEPCO service area. With cooperation from Fujitsu Laboratories, we utilized the blockchain technology developed so far to address the identified issues, thereby developing a power loan trading technology for mutual loaning of surplus power among consumers who have contracted with aggregators(*8) in the power field. We utilize this technology in various aspects of Fujitsu's energy business. Based on the experience and know-how gained from this project, we will further collaborate with AutoGrid in the United States to expand renewable energy and realize a carbon-free society by maximizing the use of distributed energy resources in the Japanese energy market.
- (*3)VPP: Acronym for "Virtual Power Plant." A technology that controls distributed power sources such as generators and storage batteries to function like a single large power plant.
- (*4)DR: Acronym for "Demand Response." A mechanism for suppressing demand during peak power hours by effectively saving electricity on the demand side.
- (*5)Cogeneration: A system that uses substances such as natural gas, petroleum, and LP gas as fuel to generate electricity using a power generator, and also recovers the exhaust heat generated at that time for use in hot water supply, air conditioning, etc.
- (*6)Negawatt trading: A system in which the power demand side reduces power consumption to achieve peak cuts, and a reward is paid according to the amount of reduction.
- (*7)Severe weather response adjustment capability: A system for suppressing power consumption on the demand side during severe weather months (July to September and December to February) when power is in short supply.
- (*8)Aggregator: A business operator that provides integrated control of distributed energy resources and provides energy services from VPPs, DRs, etc.
- Participation in METI's DR/VPP Field Trial (from 2015) Full-scale VPP (from 2021)
Power source I-b (support for 15 minutes) → Currently accumulating technology for I-a (support for 5 minutes)
(a) Overview of VPP/DR Field Trial Project
Success rate in VPP trading (response 15min.) is about 50%
(b) Current status: Conditions of power source I-b
Energy matching and increased trading speed → Improved VPP success rate by 40%
(results of simulation using actual data)
(c) Development of technology for power source I-a
