At IFA 2023 in Berlin, Panasonic reiterated its commitment to drive decarbonisation efforts in Europe and society at large. The company’s CEO, Masahiro Shinada, emphasised their goal of balancing individual well-being with global sustainability.
To achieve this, Panasonic announced several initiatives, including a significant expansion of heat pump production in Europe, pilot projects aimed at powering their operations with 100 per cent renewable energy, and a strong focus on becoming carbon emission-free.
Panasonic’s GREEN IMPACT Plan places sustainability at the heart of its business, aiming to reduce its own CO2 emissions and prevent emissions in various sectors, including factories and homes.
Panasonic Group has set ambitious sustainability goals. By 2030, they plan to eliminate CO2 emissions from their own operations (Scope 1 & 2) including production sites and offices. By 2050, they aim to achieve full decarbonisation across their entire value chain, encompassing Scope 3 emissions and product lifecycles.
Currently responsible for around 110 million tonnes of CO2 emissions yearly, Panasonic aim to cut and prevent more than 300 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2050, equivalent to about 1 per cent of the global total.
“Zero-CO2 Emission Factories”
Panasonic is actively working to reduce CO2 emissions in its global network of approximately 250 factories. In 2021, they had only seven zero-CO2 emission factories, but they aimed to increase that number to 37 by the 2025 financial year.
By March 2023, Panasonic had already established 28 such eco-friendly factories and large-scale sites. By September 2023, they added three more locations, indicating that they are on track to achieve their interim goal ahead of schedule.
Heat pumps from Europe for Europe
The EU is striving to be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, as part of the Paris Climate Agreement goals. The European Green Deal emphasises the shift away from fossil fuel heating in buildings, promoting alternatives like heat pumps.
According to the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), over 20 million heat pumps are currently in use in Europe, signifying a move towards more sustainable heating solutions in line with climate objectives.
Enrique Vilamitjana, MD at Panasonic Heating Ventilation Air-Conditioning Europe says, “While the European heat pump market doubled to 3 million heat pump units sold per year between 2019 and 2022, Panasonic’s heat pump sales grew fourfold over the same period. And we expect demand to increase tenfold by 2030.”
Panasonic is expanding its production facility in the Czech Republic to make its Aquarea L series heat pumps entirely in Europe. This move reduces the carbon footprint, shortens production times, and enhances market responsiveness. The heat pumps will use the eco-friendly refrigerant R290 with a low Global Warming Potential.
Vilamitjana adds, “As an important medium-term measure, we have also announced the acquisition of Systemair AC’s air-conditioning technology business for €100M to strengthen our commercial heat pump business for apartment buildings and commercial buildings and accelerate our business growth.”
“Panasonic has massively intensified its commitment to green heating since the introduction of Aquarea heat pumps in Europe 13 years ago (in 2010). Panasonic has been investing in heat pumps for many years and has continued to develop this important key technology.”
Decarbonisation with hydrogen fuel cell technology
The European Green Deal aims for a 55 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, necessitating rapid emissions cuts across all sectors. According to a recent study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), rising CO2 prices, projected to reach €126 per ton by 2030 and up to €400 per ton by 2050, are pushing companies to reduce emissions.
Teva Laou-Hap, Head of New Business & Technology Development Panasonic Industry Europe says, “We believe that fuel cell technology in combination with renewable energy and thus green hydrogen can make an important contribution to the decarbonisation of society.”
“In the residential sector, we have already sold 240,000 fuel cell systems in Japan and Europe, proving their practicality. As there is no green hydrogen grid yet, these systems use natural gas, but still save around 1.4 tonnes of CO2 per year per system due to their efficiency. Now we also want to help companies and public institutions to decarbonise their factories and buildings.”
Panasonic’s pilot plant in Japan demonstrates decentralised and carbon-free production using a combination of hydrogen fuel cells, photovoltaic modules, and lithium-ion batteries. This initiative aligns with the RE100 global initiative, showcasing the demand for decarbonisation and sustainable energy solutions.
Panasonic plans to invest €130M over the next two years to expand these initiatives to Europe and other areas of daily life. RE100 is a global effort uniting companies committed to 100 per cent renewable electricity use.
