Bandai Hobby Center, the plastic model production factory of Bandai Spirits located in Shizuoka City, has installed 400 solar panels on its rooftops to generate around 260,000 kilowatts of energy annually. This move is expected to reduce the factory’s annual CO2 emissions by approximately 130 tons. The solar panels were purchased from renewable energy provider MaF in July last year and cover an area of about 1,202 square meters, with an output capacity of around 220 kilowatts.
As part of Bandai Namco Group’s sustainability goals, the company aims to achieve a 35% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. To achieve this, the company plans to implement energy-saving and sustainable technologies across all of its operations, including amusement facilities, factories, and office spaces.
In June 2021, the group announced its “Gundam Universal Century Development Action” sustainability project, which seeks to address issues related to human population and the environment by promoting new ideas and technology.
The Gundam Factory Yokohama, home to a life-size RX-78-2 Gundam statue, has been powered by Yokohama City’s Hama Wing wind power plant since May 2021, resulting in zero carbon emissions from electricity at the facility.
Bandai Spirits began production at its Bandai Hobby Center Shinkan factory in 2020 to meet the growing demand for Gunpla models in Japan and abroad, driven by collaborations for the franchise’s 40th anniversary, new anime releases, and the upcoming Hollywood live-action Gundam film.
Looking ahead, Bandai Spirits plans to construct a new Bandai Hobby Center factory, scheduled to commence production in 2024, with a focus on prioritizing workplace safety.
Since the launch of Gunpla in 1980, demand has steadily increased. The original Bandai Hobby Center factory, established in 2006, produced and shipped 6.6 million units in its first year alone. In 2018, the same factory produced 15.73 million kits, and by 2019, total shipments had exceeded 500 million units.