Denso Trumpets Green Ways

Denso International America Inc. is taking a stand for the environment and promises action to prevent global warming and send less waste to landfills.

Denso says it will consume less water, recycle more goods and use fewer hazardous substances in its 24 North American manufacturing facilities.

By 2010, the company plans to eliminate mercury (used in headlamps), cadmium (used in rubber), hexavalent chromium (used in corrosion-preventing coatings) and lead (used in solder) from Denso products.

Japan's No.1 supplier says its “Green Ways” campaign is part of a 10-year worldwide company-wide initiative. Denso also will adopt an “environmental efficiency index” to rank its products based on environmental impact.

The supplier will assign “green values” to its products, calculated by determining a product's performance in context to the environmental burden it creates.

Other goals in the initiative include cutting North American landfill waste by 75% from 1999 levels by 2010.

The company plans to promote “perfect energy” factories that minimize energy loss and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18% from 2004 levels.