Promoting and Utilizing Internal Green ICT

Since supporting the communication needs of people throughout the world is our primary line of business, we use video conferencing as a familiar mode of communication in our daily business operations, in order to reduce the environmental impact associated with transportation. For this special feature, we used our video conferencing system to conduct a discussion on various environmental actions being taken in our offices, and to nurture collaboration and a sense of solidarity within the NTT Communications Group.

Initiatives at Group Companies

Initiatives at NTT Communications

In fiscal 2009, we set up the Office Database Visualization Site on our intranet, which enables each in-house organization to view the electricity and paper usage of offices, as well as the volume of waste generated, to assist each organization in taking autonomous initiatives. As for electricity, the installation of reflectors for fluorescent light bulbs and LED lights helped reduce the amount of electricity used for lighting by 20%, or 65 tons of CO₂ a year. We have also installed IC card systems for multifunction printers and are reducing paper usage. Regarding the sorting of trash, we worked on improving the recycling rate, for example creating easy-to-understand posters showing actual examples of different kinds of trash.
In fiscal 2010, we are expanding the number of buildings to be included on the Office Database Visualization Site. In order to reduce electricity usage, we are promoting the installation of lower power consumption personal computers, and are ensuring that power-saving settings are used on all personal computers. We are also encouraging paperless meetings, double-sided and consolidated printing, and an improved thermal recycling rate for trash.

Initiatives at NTT Communications China

China is continuing to develop at an amazing pace and became the world's largest emitter of CO₂ emissions in 2007. At the same time, Chinese people's awareness of environmental issues and recycling has also been increasing. NTT Communications China has implemented a number of environmentally conscious steps including ensuring that lights are turned off during lunch breaks and power-saving settings are used on all personal computers, and reducing paper cup usage by encouraging employees to bring their own reusable cups. It is also assessing and reducing monthly paper usage using a tool called "PrintOne," which uses consolidated printing, double-sided printing, and black-and-white printing as the default settings.
As part of global warming mitigation measures, NTT Communications China is also implementing other measures, such as setting air conditioners to higher temperatures and encouraging employees to dress in cooler clothes, and encouraging the use of a video conferencing system to reduce the number of business trips to locations in China. Other CSR initiatives as a future plan include earthquake relief and afforestation activities.

Initiatives at NTT-WE Marine

NTT World Engineering Marine (NTT-WE Marine), which lays and maintains submarine cables, introduced an electric propulsion system for its cable-laying vessels, and is working to reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions by controlling the number of engines driven by the generator during trips. Furthermore, in addition to encouraging the use of video conferencing, the company has been actively using web conferences since fiscal 2009. Whereas all meetings used to be paper based, NTT-WE Marine is now moving to paperless meetings, significantly reducing its paper usage. It is also using a file server to promote information sharing and reduce the volume of paper-based data.
The company's other initiatives for reducing energy consumption include recommending the use of a paperless electronic approval system, complete sorting of trash, double-sided and black-and-white printing, and lights-off during lunch breaks.

Initiatives at NTT BizLink

As a result of companywide efforts to assess and reduce copy paper usage, the cost of office supplies, and electricity usage, NTT BizLink succeeded in reducing its paper usage by 10%, office supply purchases by 27%, and electricity usage by 18% in fiscal 2009 compared to fiscal 2008. The company also improved its trash recycling rate by establishing more detailed sorting categories, such as PET bottles and lunch containers, in addition to burnable and nonburnable trash.
Furthermore, for items such as pamphlets, the company ensures the use of FSC-certified paper and soy ink, and since fiscal 2008 has created all of its pamphlets using an environmentally friendly printing method. NTT BizLink is making more of its mandatory employee seminars paperless through the use of projectors, resulting in a reduction of copy paper usage by approximately 10,000 sheets. Furthermore, the Ecocap Recycling Movement, which has been promoted in collaboration with the company's labor union, collected 25,600 PET bottle caps, which is enough to purchase 32 vaccine doses for children in developing countries.

Issues and Vision for the Future

Results and Issues for the NTT Communications Group

Under the leadership of the Environmental Protection Office, the NTT Communications Group is reviewing and implementing environmental protection measures throughout its offices. The Environmental Protection Promotion Subcommittee meeting is held twice a year and is attended by all Group Companies in Japan. At the meeting, companies share the status of the initiatives they are taking, describe the issues they face, and discuss creative ways of implementing various measures. To expand our efforts globally, in fiscal 2009 we began sending groups of trained employees to assess the status of environmental measures being taken at overseas subsidiaries—NTT America, NTT Europe, NTT Communications China, and NTT Singapore—and to share the initiatives being taken in Japan.
In fiscal 2010, we will promote policies that take into account each country's legal system, culture, and customs, in addition to basic initiatives such as the promotion of video conferencing and the reduction of paper usage. Our plan is to fully establish and accelerate environmental protection activities with a sense of company solidarity.

Future Initiatives

Environmental measures implemented at offices are supported by the daily efforts of each employee. By sharing the results of these steady efforts through the Office Database Visualization Site, the Environmental Protection Office helps each organization analyze its own data and drive the PDCA cycle for environmental measures being implemented at its offices. It will also work on improving employee environmental awareness by establishing environmentally friendly in-house infrastructures on a global scale.

Perspectives of Video Conference Participants

Yuka Nanba (NTT Communications)

Rather than simply asking our employees to cooperate on environmental protection, I think it is important to establish a framework that helps them take specific actions in all workplaces. For example, if we are going to promote paperless meetings, we need to install projectors in meeting rooms first, and if we are recommending video conferences, we need to install video conferencing systems in as many meeting rooms as possible. I believe that putting in place the necessary infrastructure will lead to a heightened awareness of environmental protection among employees.

Yasutaka Saiga (NTT Communications China)

The reality in China is that managers and workers are operating with more emphasis on cost reduction than environmental protection. However, as members of the NTT Communications Group, levels of interest among managers and workers in how environmental initiatives will affect their lives are beginning to rise. We hope to improve their awareness of the need to reduce the environmental impact of offices, while working to reduce paper and electricity usage and promoting the sorting of trash, which is not yet an established concept in China.

Yasushi Tajima (NTT-WE Marine)

If we are too aggressive in encouraging trash sorting or promoting reductions in paper and electricity usage, there could be a backlash. While environmental protection is of course important, cost reduction is also a major issue. I think it is important to help all employees maintain a high level of awareness and produce excellent results while maintaining a sense of balance between these two issues.

Hideki Sakurai (NTT BizLink)

In the beginning, voices were heard saying things like, "Why do we have to bother with such things?" and "How relevant are these things to our work?" However, as we kept stressing the importance of environmental protection on a global scale through employee education, a change began to occur in the attitude of employees. At our company, we calculate and "visualize" the environmental contribution (CO₂ emissions reduction) we are making through the data center-related services and video conferencing services we provide to our customers on an annual basis. I think this information helped enormously in allowing us to feel the direct contribution that our daily operations have on the global environment.