On the UNESCO-designated World Engineering Day for sustainable development, Mr. Shuichi Ito, MD, Toshiba India, reiterates Toshiba’s commitment to Sustainable development and shares various initiatives being undertaken in India
As India charts a transformative course towards a green future, setting its sights on an ambitious Net Zero target by 2070 and a substantial expansion in Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturing, global technology leader Toshiba emerges as a key player poised to guide the nation through its next phase of sustainable growth.
What specific sustainability targets has Toshiba set for the next five years, and how does the company plan to achieve these goals?
As part of Toshiba Group's sustainability management strategy towards carbon neutrality, we aim to eliminate Green House Gas (GHG) emissions (100 percent reduction) generated from Toshiba Group business activities by FY2030 from the FY2019 level, which will result in a 70 percent reduction in overall GHG emissions from the Group's entire value chain, such as raw material procurement, distribution, sales, disposal, etc., by FY2030 from the FY2019 level. This will be the foundation for our aim to achieve carbon neutrality throughout Toshiba Group's entire value chain by FY2050.
To achieve this new target, we promote "Response to Climate Change" by not only reducing energy and fuel consumption in the production processes in Japan and abroad and promoting the introduction of energy-efficient processes, facilities, and renewable energy by applying Internal Carbon Pricing (ICP), but also providing energy decarbonisation technologies and reducing power consumption in the use phase of products and services we develop.
In addition, we will promote the reduction of GHG emissions derived from products and services purchased in cooperation with our suppliers and focus on the measures to adopt to combat climate change in the future.
"Committed to People, Committed to the Future." is the long-standing basic commitment of the Toshiba Group. We hold environmental initiatives to be one of our top priority tasks in corporate management and promote environmental activity towards aiming to realise a sustainable society.
How does Toshiba adapt its global sustainability strategies to align with the unique environmental and socio-economic challenges present in India?
India is presently the world’s fifth largest economy and is poised to soon become the third largest. With the government’s strategy for accelerating the pace of sustainable economic development, India is primed for "Green Growth". As the economy experiences rapid growth in the future, the middle class in India will witness a significant boom. This positive shift will lead to an increased demand for electricity, prompting new environmental challenges that many advanced countries have struggled with, in their journey to socio-economic development. Furthermore, the widespread adoption of renewable energy will play a crucial role in meeting the surging demand for electricity in the future, which will be a novel, unprecedented and challenging task. If India is to realize its plan to install 500 GW of renewable energy in 2030, the power transmission and distribution network, painstakingly constructed over several decades, will need to be expanded by 1.7 times within a remarkably short span of 5 to 6 years.
Of the various challenges including manufacturer's production capacity, construction pace, and land procurement, the expansion of power distribution networks within densely populated urban regions is of particular concern. Rapid urbanization will also exacerbate issues such as waste management and water scarcity.
Centered in Toshiba’s "Make in India" policy, we manufacture transformers and switchgears, which are the main equipment for power transmission and reliable distribution networks; and water treatment plants, which contribute to a stable water supply, in India. All these products and solutions are backed by the Japanese technology and Toshiba expertise. We believe that these technologies will help solve these problems.
We need to achieve growth along with protecting environment. By integrating sustainability into our business goals, we will solve several problems caused by social challenges. Toshiba’s management philosophy is "Committed to People, Committed to the Future." We believe we will contribute to a new better world. As we celebrate India’s great progress, I reiterate Toshiba’s commitment to work "For a new day".
Can you share specific initiatives or project that Toshiba has implemented in Inida to contribute to the country’s sustainable development goals?
Imagine a world where renewable energy is the majority of our electricity supply. I believe that CO2 emissions during such power generation will be greatly reduced and India will be able to move closer to a zero-carbon society. However, it's important to note that renewable energy poses challenges in terms of control and has limitations in generation time. Until now, the idea of regulating power was to secure reserve power from thermal power plants that were operating at low loads, but as renewable energy becomes mainstream, surplus power generated by renewable energy is constantly absorbed and stored, and power. A fresh approach involves supplementing energy during shortages, making energy storage equipment pivotal to future technological advancements.
There are several types of energy storage technologies, such as stationary storage battery systems and pumped storage Hydropower station to store surplus electricity, and systems to convert it into other energy such as hydrogen electrolyzers. Toshiba is the only company in the world that possesses these key technologies and is conducting verification of these technologies in Japan. I believe that if these technologies are realized in India, they will be able to make a major contribution to India's future.
Toshiba also has an excellent storage battery technology called SCiB™, which has excellent characteristics of safety, long life, and rapid charging capability. We hope that this technology can contribute to India's Green Growth policy by applying it as an auxiliary power source for the main power source for driving EVs and to safety-based e-ferries.
Looking forward, what role does Toshiba envision playing in India's sustainable future, and are there specific targets or milestones set for the coming years that are India-centric?
By leveraging its expertise, advanced technology, and collaborative approach, Toshiba aims to further strengthen its relationship with India. Through sustained partnerships and a focus on innovation, Toshiba will remain a reliable and trusted partner for India, contributing to its sustainable growth.
The digital shift is advancing in every business field, making efficient, accurate data processing possible. In order to respond to changes in the coming digital economy, Toshiba has identified the digital evolution (DE), digital transformation (DX), and quantum transformation (QX) strategies.
Our goal is to achieve carbon neutrality and a circular economy. Toshiba will build infrastructure that everyone can enjoy and a connected data society. In this process, we will continually create value by maximising the power of data and drawing on the product expertise, technologies, and customer relationships we have cultivated over the years to support social infrastructure, including the energy, water treatment, transportation, and device businesses.