"Caring for our Customers while caring for our world." Since 1998, when we announced our Vision 2005 corporate business plan, we at Pioneer have promoted CS (customer satisfaction) management in an effort to ensure that as many of our customers as possible are completely satisfied. At the same time, rather than concentrating solely on such goals as increasing the company' s profits and improving its technologies, we have also recognized the importance of becoming more involved in environmental conservation activities. Considering that the earth is one of our most important customers, it wasn' t difficult to come to the realization that we needed to be gentler on our own environment and implement environmental conservation measures as part of our daily routines. It was for this reason that when we announced Vision 2005, we also established a new Environmental Preservation Division.
The following year, in 1999, I requested a transfer to this division. In the 10 years since I joined Pioneer, I had devoted my energies entirely to sales, but having grown up in Omi, I was not only frugal and wholesome (!), but had been reminded over and over again since I was child how important it was to keep Lake Biwa clean. Perhaps it was this background that led me unconsciously to develop an interest in environmental issues.
Four years have already past since I joined the Environmental Preservation Division. I would like to take this opportunity to outline some of our activities. One is our energy-saving initiative. Have any of you considered how much it costs to operate your TV or VCR? Actually, quite a few electrical appliances continue using electricity even after they have been switched off. Maybe you have heard the term before, but this is known as standby power consumption, and it affects just about any appliance that can be switched on and off with a remote control.
However, over the last few years, a lot of work has gone into reducing the amount of electricity that is usually wasted in this way. Taking our minicomponent stereo systems as an example, our 1996 models had a standby power consumption of 15 W, but the new X-PR9DV uses just 0.065 W. This works out to a savings of as much as 3,000 yen/year per user*. What' s more, the new system is kinder on the environment. Of course, this doesn' t apply to people who pull the plug out time and time again despite the fact that the system comes with a remote control!
Another important initiative we' re involved in is reducing waste through recycling. One thing you can' t avoid when you buy a new product is the garbage that results when you' ve finished unpacking it. The expandable polystyrene we used to use was particularly bulky, and had the added disadvantage that it was treated as noncombustible garbage by some local authorities. Our "Raku Navi" car navigation systems are now packaged entirely in cardboard. After opening the box, you simply fold up the packaging and put it out for collection on recycling day. As a result, we' ve received a lot of praise from many of the car accessory dealers that stock our products.
*Calculated on the basis of 23 yen per 1 kWh
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| The X-PR9DV Minicomponent Stereo System |
| Completely recyclable cardboard packaging |
| Packaging using molded pulp as shock absorbent material |
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