Company Profiles

Matsushita

Japan

Better known by its leading brand name, Panasonic, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company is a significant force in the electric and electronic products industry. The company's goods range from household appliances, including audio visual products, to industrial equipment and components. A tour of the company's 'Environmental Showcase' in Tokyo highlights its strengths: design for environment, technologies for energy saving and recycling, fuel cell cogeneration systems for homes, and energy conservation education through product demonstration. Matsushita leads the industry with some of the most energy-efficient products on the market, including electronics with standby energy consumption of a fraction of a kW-considerably lower than the 1kW industry target. The company has gone beyond ISO 14001 environmental management systems by developing its own "clean factory" program, including certification. Matsushita's economic benefits from reducing energy, waste, water, and packaging last fiscal year were approximately $344 million USD. Recognizing that industry-wide progress can be achieved through forward-thinking legislation, Matsushita supports the expansion of the Japanese electronic product take-back regulations. Matsushita also seeks out consultations and collaborations with leading environmental sustainability organizations, such as The Natural Step. Portfolio 21 would like to see Matsushita expand its current environmental reporting and increase closed-loop materials use.

To the best of our knowledge the above information is accurate and was obtained from sources we believe to be reliable. Neither the information presented above nor any opinion expressed shall be construed as an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy the security. The views expressed are those of portfolio management as of 12/30/07 and may not reflect current opinions or subsequent events.