Aging treatment for aluminum parts using hydrogen combustion

At LIXIL, we strive to improve our energy efficiency and reduce the amount of energy we use by identifying issues with our production processes, reviewing facilities, and by implementing various activities at each production site. All of our factories and distribution centers for the GROHE brand have received ISO 50001 certification for their energy management systems.

Meeting the high heat demand of processing materials into LIXIL products requires a significant amount of fuel. In Japan, we use IoT technology to visualize energy use for sash manufacturing processes that use large amounts of fuel such as aluminum melting and extrusion molding to adjust combustion conditions to the optimum state inside furnaces. This has contributed to significant reductions of energy consumption.

We are also actively engineering energy conversion to reduce CO₂ emissions. This includes transitioning from petroleum-based energy to electricity and implementing fuel switching.

Manufacturing processes with a high-temperature range require innovation beyond conventional fuel and manufacturing methods. LIXIL has started evaluating innovations that incorporate new technologies such as hydrogen fuel conversion and carbon capture and utilization (CCU), which separates, captures, and effectively uses CO₂. We are looking into other new technologies in the research stage with the view to applying them for practical use from 2030 onward. In FYE2023, we successfully completed hydrogen combustion tests for manufacturing aluminum profiles at our Maebashi Plant in Japan. In FYE2024, we conducted hydrogen combustion experiments to successfully verify its use for high-temperature furnaces for aluminum-melting and firing sanitary ware and tiles. Moving forward, we are looking into equipment specifications and investment needed to consider practical applications for hydrogen fuel conversion as an alternative for decarbonizing our production.

While there are several major hurdles relating to the development of infrastructure for supplying hydrogen as a fuel, LIXIL has started technical verification for hydrogen procurement with the aim of establishing technologies across all processes from procurement through usage. In FYE2023, we conducted verification tests on the surface treatment process (anodizing) of aluminum parts being manufactured at our Oyabe Plant in Japan, and successfully recovered over 90% of the hydrogen generated.

Ratio of Renewable Energy Used

Klaeng plant in Thailand

LIXIL is making the transition to renewable energy, and we are a member of RE100, a global initiative of companies committed to sourcing 100% renewable electricity for their operations. In FYE2025, the ratio of renewable energy use reached 33.0%.

Outside Japan, we have introduced electricity derived from renewable energy at 20 plants or distribution centers. Of these plants, all 12 LIXIL International faucet-related sites have switched to 100% renewable energy. In Japan, we have successfully introduced electricity derived from renewable energy at 29 production sites or distribution centers, as well as four offices, including our headquarters. All 91 sales offices in Japan have switched to 100% renewable energy.

Taking into account the “additionality” effect of promoting investment in new renewable energy facilities, at our manufacturing plants around the world, we are introducing solar power generation facilities based on both self-consumption and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model* in addition to purchasing renewable energy certificates. Outside Japan, we operate on-site solar power generation facilities at the TOSTEM Thailand Plant in Thailand, the Jiangmen Plant in China, and the Hanoi and Da Nang plants in Vietnam. As for examples of on-site PPAs, the five plants manufacturing GROHE branded products generate approximately 10,200 MWh of electricity in total. Among these, the Klaeng Plant in Thailand has installed 3.2 MW of solar panels on the roof of its buildings, contributing to an annual reduction of CO₂ emissions by approximately 2,400 tons. Moreover, the Hemer Plant in Germany installed 3.8 MW of solar panels across the site of approximately 20,000 m2, contributing to a reduction of approximately 1,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually. We also have solar power generation facilities operating under on-site PPAs at the Dalian Plant and Suzhou Science and Technology Plant in China. Additionally, we adopted off-site PPAs for the first time at four plants in Mexico in FYE2023.

In Japan, we have been operating megawatt-scale solar power generation facilities at eight locations, producing approximately 30,000 MWh of energy in total per year. In FYE2024, the Kumayama Plant installed solar panels for self-consumption. Solar power generation facilities under on-site PPAs started operations at Otani Plant in FYE2023 and five other locations in FYE2024: Ariake, Nabari, Hisai, Onomichi, and Saga plants.

While LIXIL has prioritized the integration of renewable energy through on-site consumption and PPA models, the installation of solar panels on roofs has been constrained by load-bearing capacity issues. To address this challenge and expand our renewable energy generation capacity, LIXIL is exploring the introduction of thin, lightweight solar panels suitable for wall installations. We will first introduce these panels at four production plants with varying locations and weather conditions in Japan to assess their power generation capacity, thereby advancing verification toward future scalability.

* A business model that enables PPA service providers to install solar power generation facilities on the premises and rooftops of buildings owned by electric power consumers, and to sell electricity generated from those facilities to electric power consumers.