Honda's green factories & green buildings in North America

In addition to its ongoing efforts to improve the environmental performance of its automobile, motorcycle and power equipment products, Honda is working to reduce the environmental impact of its factories and other work facilities through its "Green Factories" and "Green Buildings" initiatives. This includes increasing energy efficiency, reducing waste and enhancing recycling activities. Through its "Green Purchasing" program, Honda also encourages and supports activities by its more than 600 North American OEM parts suppliers to adopt green factory programs.

North American Green Factory Initiatives

• Through Honda's Green Factory initiatives, every Honda facility works to reduce the environmental footprint of our manufacturing operations, including emissions reduction, energy efficiency improvement, and recycling of manufacturing byproducts.
  • Thirteen of Honda's sixteen North American manufacturing plants have earned third-party ISO 14001 certification for environmental management systems. Honda Precision Parts of Georgia, is targeting 2009 to achieve ISO 14001 certification. Honda of Canada Mfg. Engine Plant, which began operation in August, 2008, is targeting 2010 to achieve ISO 14001 certification. Honda Manufacturing of Indiana LLC, which began operations in September, 2009, is targeting achieving ISO 14001 certification no later than 2014.
  • Energy use per automobile in Honda's North American automobile production facilities decreased approximately 1.5 percent from the previous fiscal year thanks to fuller utilization of production facilities along with ongoing efforts to improve plant energy efficiency and favorable weather conditions. Energy efficiency initiatives included the use of more energy-efficient light fixtures, increased use of variable speed drives and efficiency improvements in compressed air systems, chiller systems and HVAC systems. Honda initiated implementation of a new paint booth air conditioning control technology, "Intelligent Paint Booth", which reduces energy consumption and related CO2 emissions by as much as 25%.
  • Honda has eight "zero waste to landfill" plants in North America: the Alabama auto plant, North Carolina power equipment plant, the Mexico auto plant and motorcycle plant, the two Canadian auto plants and the Canadian engine plant and Indiana auto plant which started up as zero landfill plants. Overall, Honda reduced waste to landfill by approximately 35 percent last year.

Green Purchasing

• Honda encourages its suppliers to reduce packaging waste, adopt more energy-efficient processes and adhere to ISO14001 certification standards.
• Eighty-five percent of Honda's total North American OEM supply chain is ISO14001 certified.

North American Green Building Initiatives

• Honda has been building green since 1999 when the company built its first LEED certified building in Gresham, Oregon.
• Honda is only automaker to achieve a LEED-Platinum certified existing building.
• Six Honda facilities are certified by the U.S. Green Building Council
  • One LEED-Platinum – recertification of existing Gold-certified building
• American Honda’s Northwest Regional Center in Gresham, Oregon
• Five LEED-Gold
  • Acura Design Studio in Torrance, Calif.
  • American Honda's Midwestern Consolidation Center in Troy, Ohio
  • Central Plant facility at Honda R&D Americas Ohio Center in Raymond, Ohio
  • American Honda's Northwest Regional Center in Gresham, Oregon
  • Honda Aircraft Company’s world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina
• One LEED-Silver - the first LEED Version 2.2 Silver-certified data center in the country
  • American Honda's Data Center in Longmont, Colo.
• Additional new Honda facilities are currently being designed to achieve LEED certification in the future including the Honda R&D Marine Engine facility in Grant-Valkaria, Fl.; Honda Manufacturing of Indiana welcome center building, the Honda Engineering expansion at the engine plant in Anna, Ohio and, Honda Canada's head office in Markham, Ontario.
• Among many site-specific efficiencies and innovations, these facilities share common sustainable features such as:
  • Energy Star highly reflective roof and dual-paned windows with low-emissivity glass to reduce solar heat gain
  • Extensive use of recycled and recyclable materials in the building envelope and interior
  • Use of U.S. steel, guaranteed to contain at minimum 25 percent, and often as much as 90 percent, recycled content
  • Energy-efficient light fixtures with motion sensors
  • Diversion of construction waste from landfills to recycling centers
  • Selection of suppliers based on the high level of recycled content of their products and theirproximity to the job site.
• A few of the unique features at Honda's certified buildings include:
  • Acura Design Studio's high-efficiency displacement ventilation system that moves cool air from rooftop air conditioning units to large, floor-level grills, where it displaces heat from the human body.
  • The 547,000 square-foot Midwestern Consolidation Center has a mezzanine made from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as having come from sustainably-managed forest lands.
  • Honda R&Dâ Central Plant uses an ice chiller system that reduces peak energy demand from air conditioning by as much as half.

Source: Honda USA Press & Media Center