Toyota Ranks the Top in the Fifth Nikkei BP Eco Brand Survey

Tokyo -- July 14, 2004 -- Nikkei BP EcoManagement Forum, a membership organization aimed at contributing to the continuing development of environment-conscious management, has announced the results of its fifth "Eco Brand Survey." To find how consumers are gauging corporate environmental activities, the survey was conducted online from April 5 through May 10, 2004, collecting a total of 18,995 valid responses. Respondents were inquired about their association of eco-conscious management with 560 companies, selected by NikkeiBP EcoManagement Forum from a wide array of industries in Japan. Toyota Motor topped the ranking of eco brand index for the fifth consecutive year.

Three automobile companies -- Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor shared into the top ten ranking of the eco brand index. Development of fuel-cell cars have led to consumers' notion that Japan's auto industry is leading the world in energy conservation technology, which apparently translated into high marks in their eco branding indices.

Among electronics makers, Matsushita Electric Industrial and Sharp proved their strong eco branding power. Ever since embarking on sales of CFC-free refrigerators in 2002, Matsushita has been kicking off their sales blitz under the banner "N's Eco Project," emphasizing their efforts in power and water conservation; whereas Sharp rolling out their main products including LCD TVs and solar panels into the market with emphasis on environmental conservation. Such sales activities not only boosted sales of their products but also their strength of environmental branding. Details of the survey results are available in Japanese only.

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