A panel of experts was formed in fiscal year 2002 to study technical measures for controlling waste at the source of generation. Nissan is involved in a number of activities including using returnable palettes, recycling cutting oil, investigating ways to bring our use of cutting oil to zero, and investing in equipment to drastically reduce the amount of waste we produce.
Reduction of packing and packaging materials
In transporting parts and finished vehicles long distances, we have shifted from trucks and trailers to marine transportation; as a result, transportation efficiency has increased and CO2 emissions have dropped.
We transport parts by placing them in containers and stacking them on pallets. However, most pallets are made out of wood, and eventually are left over as waste at our plants. Early on, for the purpose of forest preservation, we began a switch to a returnable pallet system. Since 2001, we have promoted the establishment of systems that minimize the number of pallets and improve efficiency by sharing them with Renault. This practice is now being adopted in China and other parts of Asia, and our global shift to this pallet mode will soon be completed and expanded to Nissan's international suppliers. In co-ordination with our suppliers, studies on replacing paper, vinyl and other such packing materials for several products are also currently underway.
Returnable pallet
Conventional wooden pallet
