Volatile organic compounds, commonly called VOCs, are fuels, solvents and other chemicals that evaporate at normal temperatures. VOCs react with nitrogen oxide (NOx) in the atmosphere to produce secondary environmental pollution, such as suspended particle matter (SPM) and photochemical oxidants (smog). Some VOCs also present health risks. In Japan, 1.5 million tons of VOCs are released into the atmosphere annually from industrial painting and washing processes. Multiply this by the number of industrial countries around the world, and the enormity of this pollution source becomes apparent. Mitsubishi Electric has created a novel, highly efficient removal technology for these major industrial pollutants.
  Most VOCs are released at low concentrations of 100 ppm or less in factory and plant ventilation exhaust -- a challenge for conventional VOC treatment systems that use combustion. In addition, combustion produces a large amount of CO₂ and NOx as byproducts. Mitsubishi Electric overcame both hurdles with a novel system that employs plasma and adsorption processes.
  Under the new system, VOCs are concentrated by adsorption and decomposed into harmless CO₂ and H₂O by plasma treatment for half the cost of combustion systems, while producing from 1/10 to 1/2 of the CO₂. NOx is also reduced to 1/10 or less than that by conventional systems.

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance has announced that it will participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) as one aspect of its corporate social responsibility. The company will join other institutional investors in the project, which has its headquarters in London.
  Initiated for the purpose of advancing corporate environmental preservation activities, the CDP is jointly operated by 143 leading international institutional investors with total assets of $20 trillion. Since 2002, as a measure of environmental performance, the project has surveyed the world's top 500 companies on their environmental initiatives, including efforts to regulate CO₂, a cause of global warming.
  Reports compiled from the surveys are distributed among participating institutional investors and surveyed companies, and also published on the Internet. Detailed results, including information not disclosed to the public, is also made available to investor participants for use in evaluating social responsibility investment (SRI) factors in the surveyed companies.
  Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance sees global warming as a significant risk to society and agrees with the aims of the CDP, and thus made the decision to participate in the project.

The "Mitsubishi Pavilion @Earth," which opened in Japan with the 2005 Aichi World Expo at the end of March 2005, has found a novel and particularly apt method for offsetting the environmental impact of its activities.
  The Pavilion will offset its carbon impact by protecting a portion of the rainforests in an area of northeastern Madagascar called Makira and by supporting sustainable natural resource management by communities in the region.

The Pavilion truly hopes that carbon offsets likeeee these become customary. The project in Madagawcar potects the rainforest and contributes to the sustainable development of the local community.

  Specific activities include programs and training to reduce the deforestation rate of Makira, prevent species extinctions, work with local communities to develop sustainable activities that provide alternative approaches to slash and burn agriculture, and demonstrate a viable market for some of the forest's ecosystem services. Healthy, intact forests store carbon taken from the atmosphere and thus play a unique role in mitigating the harmful effects of climate change.
  The carbon offset financing deal was developed through a partnership between Natsource Japan Co. Ltd., representing Mitsubishi, and Conservation International (CI), acting on behalf of the Government of Madagascar.
  Currently, investments in these types of carbon credits remain voluntary because they are not yet included in the rules defined by the Kyoto Climate Treaty. Nevertheless, many organizations see value in investing in "Conservation Carbon" because of the multiple benefits it brings.