Mazda is engaged in a range of initiatives to eliminate or reduce chemical substances that damage the environment, based on the voluntary action plan adopted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).
Based on the voluntary action plans introduced by JAMA, Mazda has actively sought to eliminate the use of lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and cadmium. By February 2007, we had achieved JAMA’s targets for all four of these substances in advance of the deadlines set by the association.
To maintain a comfortable cabin environment, Mazda is committed to reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene, which have been implicated as possible causes of sick building syndrome.
In 1999 we developed a deodorizing filter with the capacity to remove aldehydes, which has been adopted as either standard or optional in our leading models. Subsequently, we reviewed the materials used for interior fittings and adhesives with a view to cutting out VOCs at the source, and succeeded in reducing the amount of VOCs generated in the cabins of new vehicles.
In new models, starting with the Mazda Demio (known overseas as the new Mazda2) launched in 2007, we reduced VOCs in the main materials used in the cabin, such as plastics, paints, and adhesives, thereby conforming with the indoor aerial concentration guidelines offered by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Mazda is working to reduce the amount of CFC alternatives, which are greenhouse gases, as car air-conditioner refrigerants. The Company is also developing air conditioners that use novel refrigerants in place of CFC alternatives.
