Rinnai has unveiled a global plan setting out a clear pathway to achieving carbon neutrality to a timetable, without negating quality in product design, innovation and customer value for money.
The Rinnai Manifesto is structured into four main segments: Background to Carbon Neutrality; Initiatives and Directives to Realize Low-Carbon and Decarbonized Society; Reducing CO2 Emissions from Business Activities; and Investing in Carbon Neutrality.
The Rinnai Manifesto details plans to halve emission created by Rinnai products and manufacturing processes by 2030.
Assistance will be provided through technological innovations that allow hydrogen gas mixes to be utilized.
Data shows that 95 per cent of these emissions are produced during the working life cycle of a Rinnai product; the other five per cent occurring throughout procuring materials, manufacturing, transport and disposal.
The manifesto details a transparent assessment and appraisal of carbon emissions from production, products in use and procurement phases and this will lead to targeted action to achieve the reductions.
“It is a statement of firm commitment by Rinnai concerning environmental issues and the need to accept collective responsibility. We must do this - there is no Planet B,” said Rinnai UK managing director Tony Gittings (pictured).
“Rinnai is taking action to ensure that it is carbon neutral as soon as is realistically possible across its global estate,” he added.
“We are a business based on engineering excellence and are employing technological creativity to achieve the targets. It will mean, in the UK that we begin to offer a wider range of products to enable our customers achieve their own carbon reductions and eventual neutrality.”
Rinnai is actively assisting international hydrogen development. Combustion tests on 20% - 30% hydrogen gas blends are being carried out on existing products in the UK, US and Italy.
A line of hydrogen-ready products already exists in the UK, (N1300i, N1300e, N1600i, and N1600e), while Rinnai Japan are spearheading technological innovations that facilitate 100 per cent hydrogen usage in collaboration with other countries.
Rinnai will adapt its range of products to include original hybrid water heating systems throughout the 2020s and electrified heat pumps by 2030.
Once hydrogen combustion is internationally fully operational Rinnai products will be well placed to accept 100 per cent green energy.
As well as modifying future product ranges Rinnai is keen to expand its personal sense of responsibility to office and factory working practises. A corporate plan has been structured to ensure that Rinnai offices and factories across the world will be carbon neutral by 2050.
All Rinnai factories and offices will employ green electricity usage and carefully directed energy creation to cut Rinnai industry emissions in half by 2030.
The introduction of fossil-fuel free technology and widespread promotion of energy conservation will help Rinnai achieve total decarbonisation by 2050.
Rinnai’s carbon neutral declaration will require massive financial funding. To enable clean working practises and consistent product functionality Rinnai has structured over £332m of capital investments to be made over five years.
Approaching £200m will be invested into product development in Rinnai’s centre of design innovation.
Specific areas of investment include hydrogen combustion equipment, heat pumps and other next generation technologies.
£100m will be invested into manufacturing. This flow of capital will enable a switch to renewable sources of greener energy and fossil-fuel free facilities creating greener working standards.
£32m will be provided into promoting sales of low carbon alternatives such as the ECO ONE hybrid water heating system and the global promotion of energy efficient water heaters.
