From September 2–6, Panasonic took part in IFA, one of the world’s largest and most influential consumer electronics exhibitions. Held in Berlin for the first time in three years, IFA 2022 attracted attendees from 130 countries, and Panasonic was one of the 1,100 companies from 46 regions to showcase its latest developments at the event. Panasonic reaffirmed its commitment to promote carbon neutrality, further the circular economy, and introduced new products and services that aim to advance the well-being of future generations.

This year marked the first time that IFA was held in person since the pandemic started, and, in the spirit of revival and renewal, Panasonic adopted a new and more sustainable booth design, deployed in a new area of the event hall.

At the Panasonic booth opening ceremony, Panasonic Corporation’s President and CEO Masahiro Shinada reaffirmed Europe as a key market and stressed the company’s efforts towards carbon neutrality under the Panasonic Green Impact strategy.

Shinada explained that Panasonic had redefined its mission as contributing to the well-being of people, society, and the planet. “To fulfil this business mission,” he said, “for people, we aim to enhance quality of life with our high-end appliances; for society, we will provide safe and secure living infrastructure; and for the planet, we will contribute to decarbonisation and the creation of a circular economy through our environmentally friendly products and use of clean energy.”

Reflecting the company’s commitment towards a sustainable future, the corporate booth’s central area focused on the two key themes of Panasonic’s environmental vision: contribution to carbon neutrality and the circular economy. The new booth design achieved a total reduction of 140 tons of CO₂ emissions compared to Panasonic’s 2019 booth, equivalent to a reduction of 71%. 

One of Panasonic’s strengths is that it has unique technological capabilities for clean and efficient energy solutions. At IFA 2022, the company introduced its most recent initiatives, including its Pure Hydrogen Fuel cell, Air to Water (A2W) heat pump water heaters, and products designed to further the circular economy.

The Pure Hydrogen Fuel Cell is being used as part of Panasonic’s “RE100” factory initiative (“RE100” refers to transitioning “towards 100% renewable energy”). This project aims to supply 100% of the electricity consumed in the company’s fuel cell factory with renewable sources by using an energy management system that combines pure hydrogen fuel cells, photovoltaic generators, and lithium-ion storage batteries. This is the world's first attempt to create an RE100 factory through the full-scale use of hydrogen.

Panasonic also exhibited its Air to Water (A2W) heat pump water heaters. The company recently announced that it will invest 20 billion yen in its Czech plant by fiscal 2025 to strengthen the production system for A2W heat pump water heaters to meet fast-growing demand in Europe for these environmentally friendly heating solutions. Panasonic’s heat pump and air conditioning technology is globally recognized, and most recently, Panasonic Etherea Air Conditioning unit, which features Panasonic’s nanoe X technology, won the UK National ACR&Heat Pump Awards 2022.

Panasonic’s main contribution to furthering the circular economy lies in its innovative and high-end product line-up, which includes MULTISHAPE, also exhibited at IFA 2022. MULTISHAPE is a grooming tool that utilizes the same body for five different grooming attachment heads. The modular design eliminates the need for a motor, rechargeable battery, and adapter for each product, saving about 60% of resources during production compared to conventional product design. Increasing product durability, improving repairability through modular design, and long-term parts ownership will all contribute to the long-term use of our products.

Panasonic’s new company purpose is to “contribute to the well-being of people, society, and the planet,” and a key way we will do this is through our innovative and high-end products. Shinada unveiled the company’s new brand action tagline “Create Today. Enrich Tomorrow.” for the first time at this global event.

Panasonic sees the concept of well-being as having three components: inner well-being, outer well-being, and spatial well-being. These components were reflected in the Panasonic’ booth design, where the company’s brand-new product line-up, including OLED TVs, nanoe hairdryers, and combination microwaves, were neatly categorized and showcased according to these three categories.

Since its founding more than 100 years ago, Panasonic has been committed to contributing to society and supporting our customers’ quality of life. As a company engaged in all aspects of lifestyle and well-being that “help make people, society, and the planet healthier”, Panasonic Corporation will continue to support people's lives through technology and creativity.