News

AISIN Corporation, in collaboration with Kao Corporation (hereafter “Kao”), has been awarded the Minister of the Environment Award at the 52nd Environmental Awards, organized by the National Institute for Environmental Studies and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd., for their jointly developed room-temperature rust-preventive cleaning agent. The award ceremony was held today, June 3.

The Environmental Awards were established in 1974 with the aim of addressing pollution issues. They recognize outstanding initiatives that contribute to environmental conservation and the improvement of environmental quality, including efforts to combat global warming, resource depletion, and species extinction.

The award presentation scene

The awarded product, a room-temperature rust-preventive cleaning agent, is designed for cleaning metal components. It is used in the cleaning process after machining and before assembly of transmission metal parts.

Traditionally, the cleaning process involved heating the cleaning solution and drying with hot air, which accounted for a significant portion of CO₂ emissions in AISIN’s overall transmission manufacturing process, making it a major environmental burden. Additionally, rust-preventive materials such as anti-rust oil, packaging materials, and desiccants were used after cleaning, resulting in considerable waste and further environmental impact.

To reduce the environmental burden of the cleaning process, AISIN and Kao jointly developed a cleaning agent that integrates three key functions:

・High cleaning performance at room temperature
・High drying efficiency without the need for hot air
・High rust-prevention performance eliminating the need for rust-proofing treatment

This innovative cleaning agent enables a 73% reduction in CO₂ emissions per cleaning machine, as well as a significant reduction in rust-preventive materials. Furthermore, by extending the usable life of the cleaning solution to more than three times its previous duration, water usage has been reduced to less than one-third, and the burden of wastewater treatment has also been alleviated.

AISIN is committed to realizing a sustainable society by promoting carbon neutrality in both “production” and “products,” and by advancing waste reduction initiatives. Moving forward, AISIN will continue to work in collaboration with local communities and partner companies to reduce environmental impact and contribute to the creation of a better society.