SDG-related Activities in Fujitsu
SDG-related Activities in Fujitsu
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 are a set of common goals to be achieved worldwide by 2030. Fujitsu’s purpose is “to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation” and our company has made a commitment, both internally and externally, to contribute to achieving the SDGs. As a global enterprise that for decades has leveraged technology to create value for society, Fujitsu has a responsibility to proactively contribute to societal transformation. To help make the world more sustainable, we aim to generate larger and more beneficial impacts for society, which will also help to spur ongoing sustainable corporate growth. In its efforts to contribute to achieving the SDGs, Fujitsu is transforming to a sustainable management model via its Global Responsible Business (GRB) framework and is also working to resolve societal challenges through business by promoting activities under the new Fujitsu Uvance business brand announced in 2021.
Fujitsu believes the SDGs essentially define a system transformation that must be achieved by 2030, and will act as the foundation for a world in which more than 9 billion people are able to live well, within planetary boundaries, by 2050. The issues highlighted in the SDGs involve a complex web of environmental, social, and economic elements. One key to solving these inherent problems is through digital transformation (DX). Fujitsu will harness the power of digital technology to create ecosystems that transcend industry boundaries and assist in the transformation of our customers and our own organizations, while playing a part in delivering fundamental changes to the way society interacts and contributes to the resolution of societal challenges.
The SDGs are an overarching framework of global social and environmental needs and form a common language for all stakeholders. Fujitsu will use its efforts to realize the SDGs as an opportunity for co-creation with a wide range of stakeholders, including international agencies, national and regional governments, private companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and non-profit organizations (NPOs). By embracing a multifaceted approach to societal challenges, we can create and maximize positive impacts on an even larger scale.
SDG Promotion Systems
We have built a framework that prompts all our employees to consider which of the 169 targets defined in the SDGs are relevant to our services and solutions when they are engaged in product planning and business discussions and when they issue press releases.
The objective is to help our employees become more familiar with the SDGs and increase their awareness by having them consider our services and solutions, business discussions, and the content of our press releases in terms of contribution toward achieving the SDGs from the standpoint of societal challenges.
Contributing to SDGs with Digital Technologies and Services
Helping to Reduce Costs and Energy Consumption at Manufacturing Facilities
AI technology is being used at manufacturing sites to improve quality control and make manufacturing processes more efficient. However, the aging of equipment and environmental changes mean that the accuracy of AI models sometimes declines in the processes where it is used. Therefore, repeated re-training of AI models is required when regular checking procedures reveal decreasing levels of accuracy, resulting in problems such as increased operations and maintenance costs.
To solve such problems, Fujitsu has collaborated with the SUBARU Corporation in the development and trialing of the “COLMINA Site Quality Assurance AI”, a system that manages AI models used for quality assurance. This collaboration has helped to progress the application of this system in mass-production processes. The integrated management of AI models incorporated in multiple items of equipment across different locations has made it possible to monitor the operation of AI models in real-time and determine when maintenance is required.
The system has been used for the engine parts machining processes in the Oizumi Plant at SUBARU’s Gunma manufacturing division, boosting the quality assurance level and restricting resource use, which has delivered significant reductions in cost and energy consumption.
Fujitsu will continue to promote high levels of economic productivity for society through technological improvements and innovation, thereby helping to create new value.
Japanese only:
- High-precision AI Model Providing Quality Assurance in Engine Part Machining Processes Begins Full-Time Operation on SUBARU Production Lines
- Release of “COLMINA AI Operation Management Package for On-Site Quality” Enables AI to Reduce Costs and Maintain Quality at Manufacturing Sites
Key SDGs related to this solution
(7.3)
(8.2)
(9.1)
(12.5)A Plant-Based Pure Water Trading Platform to Help Solve Global Water Scarcity Problems
According to the United Nations report on water scarcity(*1), around two-thirds of the world’s population is experiencing serious water shortages, and this needs to be addressed urgently. To help meet this challenge, Britain’s Botanical Water Technologies Ltd (BWT) and Fujitsu have created the world's first water trading platform that enables plant-based pure water trading based on the concept of water offsets(*2).
In the past, the excess water produced by food factories during the compression process used to create products like sugar, tomato paste, and concentrated fruit juice has simply been thrown away, often at great expense and to the detriment of the environment. BWT uses innovative technology to filter and purify this processed water, producing pure (botanical) water which can then be sold or donated free of charge as safe and clean drinking water. This water can also be repurposed and used in industry or as an ingredient, used as an alternative to groundwater in regions where water is scarce, or sold as potable water to conserve water resources.
To address the problem of water scarcity on a global scale, BWT believed that it needed to work with other innovators to create an overarching ecosystem, and selected Fujitsu as its partner to build a plant-based pure water trading platform that uses the FUJITSU Track and Trust blockchain solution.
This solution ensures high levels of traceability throughout the process, from Botanical Water’s production through to sales and distribution, and paves the way for water-positive(*3) activities such as donating water credits(*4) to regions that face chronic water shortages.
- (*1)United Nations report on water scarcity: https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/scarcity/
- (*2)Water offsets: A concept in which companies compensate for the water they use in the manufacturing and distribution of products and services.
- (*3)Water positive: Activities in which companies return more water to a region than they use.
- (*4)Water credits: A similar concept to carbon credits. Companies trade in water credits primarily for use in water offsets. By purchasing water credits and donating the same amount of water, that water use is offset, effectively reducing the amount of water used by the company.
- Fujitsu’s Blockchain Solution Applied to New Water Trading Platform to Tackle Global Water Shortages
- Sustainable manufacturing: turning wine into water
Key SDGs related to this solution
(6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.a)
(11.1)(12.2, 12.4)
(13.1)
(17.16)Using AI technology to Build Healthier and Longer-Lived Communities Through Early Detection of Heart Disease (Joint Research)
Heart disease is a leading cause of death globally, and its prevention and early detection are among the most important issues for the healthcare sector. Echocardiography is one of the screening tools used to detect abnormalities in the shape and movements of the heart, but this procedure can only be performed at facilities with specialist physicians and laboratory technicians. This hinders early detection and results in many cases only being discovered once the disease has become severe.
To address this issue, Fujitsu joined with the University of Tokyo Hospital to develop proprietary AI technology capable of estimating abnormal heart movements based on electrocardiogram data. This project focused on electrocardiography because it is simpler than echocardiography and is already in widespread use at many medical facilities. It is expected that the use of this AI will enable the early detection of heart disease in many more patients.
Fujitsu will continue to actively promote research and development of AI to detect various heart diseases and help to solve the problems facing medical facilities. The ultimate goal is to help build safer communities and support people’s health and wellbeing.
Flow of clinical research
Key SDGs related to this solution
(3.4, 3.8)(17.17)Supporting Medical Facilities in the Fight Against COVID-19 by Using AI to Analyze Chest CT Images
When treating patients who are strongly suspected of having a COVID-19 infection, the diagnosis is typically based on PCR test results as well as other results including blood tests and diagnostic imaging using chest CT (computer tomography) scans. Although chest CT imaging can often assist with early detection, it places a significant burden on doctors because the process normally requires the visual confirmation of hundreds of images per patient. Diagnostic imaging also needs a high degree of specialist knowledge, leading to inconsistencies between medical institutions in terms of their diagnostic capabilities.
In response to this situation, Fujitsu collaborated with Tokyo Shinagawa Hospital, which has a high level of expertise in CT diagnostic imaging, to develop an AI to assist in diagnostic imaging. The new technology supports doctors who are using chest CT imaging to perform diagnostic imaging on patients suspected of having COVID-19 pneumonia by representing the likelihood of infection through a numerical, three-dimensional visualization of the spread of shadows in the lungs. It is anticipated that the system will expand the level of specialist expertise in the diagnostic imaging field at medical facilities and reduce the burden on staff working in those facilities.
Fujitsu intends to continue its joint research projects with medical facilities with the aim of making people’s lives safer and more secure as we transition to the era of living with COVID-19.
Key SDGs related to this solution
(3.3)(8.2)(9.1)(17.17)Traffic Movement Optimization Services Cut Traffic Jams and CO2 Emissions (Verification Testing at Hamburg Port)
The area around the port in the German city of Hamburg is experiencing serious traffic congestion due to the increased volume of trucks and prolonged rush hours. This leads to disrupted supply chains and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
To help resolve this problem, Fujitsu embarked on the MOZART (Mobility Optimization and Analysis in Real-Time) project together with the Hamburg Port Authority and the Graz University of Technology.
This project leverages Fujitsu’s quantum-inspired Digital Annealer technology to simulate the movement of individual vehicles, synchronizing the phases of all the signals at traffic intersections in real-time to optimize all traffic movements in the test area.
The project demonstrated that the use of this technology could alleviate traffic jams, improve traffic flows, and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 9% without requiring any changes to the existing infrastructure. Furthermore, by reducing traffic congestion, the project reduced transit times within the area by 20% and helped to make the local neighborhood more livable.
The aim now is to apply this solution to the entire city of Hamburg. Fujitsu intends to continue working in similar collaborative relationships with trusted partners to develop innovative services and solutions that will help to address the climate crisis and create safer and more livable urban environments.
Optimization of traffic flows using quantum-inspired Digital Annealer technology
- Fujitsu Quantum-Inspired Optimization Services Cut Traffic Jams and CO2 Emissions at Hamburg Port
- Traffic Management with Traffic Signal Control in the Port of Hamburg
- Fujitsu Forum 2019 Keynote - From mathematical to industrial optimization
Key SDGs related to this solution
(8.2)(9.4)(11.3, 11.6)(13.1)(17.17)
