DENSO is now an official partner in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Plants program. One of DENSO’s “Two Great Causes” is “Green” – achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. DENSO says collaborating with the DOE helps it reach its sustainability goals by reducing the environmental impact of its manufacturing operations and energy use.

Five of DENSO’s U.S. manufacturing sites are part of the program, including facilities in Athens and Maryville, Tennessee; Osceola, Arkansas; Statesville, North Carolina; and Battle Creek, Michigan. Through the initiative, more than 950 plants share proven energy-efficiency strategies and best practices. The lessons learned from the partnership will help shape DENSO’s sustainability activities across the region.

This innovative collaboration plus DENSO’s long-time commitment to continuous improvement (kaizen) will help DENSO reduce its energy use by 25% by 2030. This goal also aligns with DENSO’s overall commitment to use 40% less energy by 2035.

“Partnering with the Department of Energy and other leaders in energy innovation is an important step in helping us quickly pave the way for a safer, greener mobility future,” said Denise Carlson, vice president of the North America Production Innovation Center at DENSO. “We’re developing technologies that support a better planet, and we’re also focused on how we can make sustainability gains in our manufacturing operations and energy use across the company, from our offices to our production facilities.”

The Better Plants program works with leading U.S. manufacturers and wastewater treatment agencies to set ambitious energy, water, waste and carbon reduction goals and commit to reducing energy intensity by 25% over a 10-year period across U.S. operations. By partnering with industry, the Better Plants program helps its partners boost efficiency, increase resilience, strengthen economic competitiveness, and reduce carbon footprints through improvements in energy efficiency.