Casio To Stop Flying Goods From China To Cut Emissions

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Casio Computer Co. will by next spring stop using airplanes to transport most finished products from its Chinese factory to Japan, in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions more than 20-fold, company sources said.

Casio currently sends electronic dictionaries, digital cameras and other goods from a plant in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, by air to a distribution center in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture. Now, these products will be shipped via train and boat instead.

The firm recently began using the new system to ship electronic keyboards on a trial basis. The cargo is sent by rail from Shenzhen to Shanghai, and then by boat to Hakata in Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island.

Casio emits 440 metric tons of CO2 for every 100 tons of cargo it flies from the Zhongshan factory to Japan. By using the train-boat combination, emissions will be slashed to 20 tons. Furthermore, shipping costs will fall by more than 20%.

The company is using trucks to transport the keyboards from Hakata to the Suzuka distribution center for the time being, but it will consider shipping them by rail to further reduce emissions.

It takes seven days to transport the cargo by rail and sea, compared with three days by air. For this reason, Casio will continue using airplanes to process rush orders.

As major Japanese manufacturers increase their overseas production, their distribution-related CO2 emissions are increasing steadily. Against this backdrop, firms are expected to step up efforts to reduce such emissions.

(The Nikkei July 13 evening edition)