Introduction

Management

Social Innovation

Environmental

SocialContents022

Social Innovation BusinessSocial Innovation

Governance

Assurance

Hitachi Sustainability Report 2023

021

Introduction

Social Innovation
Social Innovation Business

Management

Social Innovation

Environmental

SocialGovernance

Assurance

Hitachi Sustainability Report 2023

022

Social Innovation Business
Aiming for a Sustainable Society
Approach

Hitachi’s Social Innovation Business Cases
Activities

Materiality

Hitachi has identified six material topics and 15 sub-material

Advancing a Sustainable Energy Future for All

SF6-free portfolio across the entire high-voltage switchgear

topics as important management issues and pursues sustain-Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing

range, demonstrating the scalability of the portfolio andable management as the core of business strategy.

a sustainable energy future for all and supporting the world-strengthening the company’s position as a sustainable tech-wide efforts in reducing the impact of greenhouse gases.

nology leader within the industry.

The Mid-term Management Plan 2024 focuses on business that emphasizes both environmental challenges and theThe elimination of SF6 from high-voltage electrical substation

wellbeing of each and every person. Based on this strategy,

equipment is widely accepted as being an important step

we strive to grow and expand our Social Innovation Business.

toward reaching carbon neutrality and enabling more sustainable grid operations. EconiQ, Hitachi Energy’s eco-efficient
portfolio for s­ ustainability, accelerates the industry’s transition

Hitachi’s Social Innovation Businessaway from SF6 with products, services, and solutions, that are
proven to deliver exceptional environmental performance.

Approach

Over the last two years, Hitachi Energy has made sub-Hitachi aims to support people’s quality of life with data andstantial progress in commercializing high-voltage EconiQ

technology that fosters a sustainable society, while respecting

products that eliminate SF6 with scalable solutions for theplanetary boundaries and realizing wellbeing for all individuals.

lowest carbon footprint. Various high-voltage SF6-free EconiQ

The key to achieving this goal is the growth of our Social

products have been installed across the globe, including 72.5

Innovation Business, which is business that provides solutions

and 145-kilovolt (kV) Live Tank Breakers, 145 kV gas-insulated

for social and customer challenges through co-creation withswitchgear, and 420 kV gas-insulated lines.

various partners by leveraging IT x OT x Products and Lumada.
In this section, we discuss examples of our Social
Innovation Business at Hitachi.

An important milestone was the launch of the 420 kV

EconiQ of Hitachi Energy

SF6- free circuit breaker in 2022, a breakthrough technologythat unlocks the widest range of eco-efficient switchgear­applications and accelerates the energy transition. AnotherProviding Safe, Convenient and Enjoyable Mobilityinnovation, EconiQ retrofill, replaces SF6 in installed high-­

For Hitachi Rail, Social Innovation is simply using innovation

voltage gas-insulated lines with an eco-efficient gas mixtureand digital technology to solve society’s major problems. In

to improve the environmental and life cycle performance of

this framework, the MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) project has

the equipment. The commercialization of SF6-free alternatives

been developed and launched in Genova, Italy. MaaS is an

is important as it unlocks new decarbonization pathways forintegrated system of transport aimed at optimizing urban

transmission system operators. Hitachi Energy is reinforcing

mobility through modular solutions, which are more coordi-

its commitment toward a carbon-neutral energy futurenated and efficient. The goal is to answer in a flexible way tothrough EconiQ. Addressing the growing demand for eco-­the increasingly emerging necessity for mass transport in aefficient solutions, Hitachi Energy will continue to expand thesustainable mobility ecosystem.

Introduction

Social Innovation
Social Innovation BusinessManagement

Social Innovation

Environmental

SocialGovernance

Assurance

Hitachi Sustainability Report 2023023

Genova is the first city to exploit its potential on a large
scale. In detail, Hitachi Rail—in partnership with the municipaladministration and AMT (the local Mobility and TransportCompany)—has connected 663 buses, 2500 bus stops, thesubway line, two funiculars, one rack railway, ten public elevators and two suburban routes of about 50 km of buses to theplatform. An ambitious initiative that will allow the municipality,
the company and its inhabitants to enjoy a series of technological innovations for the benefit of the quality of life and theenvironment, whilst accelerating the transition to a more susHealthcare Innovation Center Tokyotainable and connected mobility.
As part of this project, Hitachi Rail developed a smart-Transport Using the Smartphone App GoGoGephone application called “GoGoGe.” It allows users to plan
multimodal journeys on all public transport in the city which

Hitachi High-Tech opened the Healthcare Innovation
Center Tokyo in the Tenkubashi Station/Haneda area. Thissharing services with just a single app. The most distinctive

Hitachi Improves Healthy Life Expectancyand Wellbeing

feature of the application is that it uses Bluetooth sensors

Healthy life expectancy, the number of years a person cancustomer co-creation and knowledge sharing. We will use theand can be used “handsfree.” Users simply have to turn onlead a normal life without being limited by health problems, isinnovations created at the center to improve the quality of life

the Bluetooth on their smartphones, start the app, and tap

now regarded as one of the most important metrics of thefor people all over the world.

the “Activate Ticket” button. There is no need to operate thehealth of a society. In collaboration with medical and pharma-

app as long as they keep the phone in their pocket or bag.

ceutical professionals, Hitachi improves healthy life expec-

cancer therapy and regenerative medicine in therapeutics. InUsers will be able to check crowding on the buses andtancy and well-being by developing advanced diagnostics andfiscal 2022, Hitachi received a new order for a proton therapy­optimize their movements. But above all else, users

therapy, as well as by supporting digital drug discovery.

system from the University of Wisconsin Health in the United

also includes access to parking lots, e-scooters and car-­can count on an intelligent payment system that will beThrough our work on measurement and analysis systems

charged at the end of the day by applying the best daily ratein the biomedical and life sciences, we contribute to accurate

for the customer.

and reliable in-vitro diagnostics. In the field of clinical chemistry

Through its Social Innovation principle, Hitachi Rail tries daily
to deliver value to all the communities we are proudly part of.

facility is an integrated laboratory, where we will engage in

Hitachi has been actively engaged in advancing radiation

States. While particle therapy with proton beams or carbon-­ionand immunological blood testing, in particular, Hitachi High-Techanalytical systems are used to conduct approximately 20 billion
tests per year, supporting the advancement of diagnosis andtherapy planning around the world. With regard to new in-vitro
diagnostics, we have invested in U.S. company Invivoscribe,Inc., a global provider of testing services mainly for blood­cancers, and have begun collaborating to advance moleculardiagnostics. This collaboration will enable us to contribute tothe early detection of cancer, therapy planning, and drug
­development by pharmaceutical companies, leading to­healthier and safer societies.

Proton Therapy Equipment Combined with the Hitachi 360° Rotating Gantry
and the Leo Cancer Care Upright System (Artist Impression)

Introduction

Social Innovation
Social Innovation BusinessManagement

Social Innovation

Environmental

SocialGovernancebeams improves the quality of life for cancer patients since

Creating a Happy Workplace

the patient experiences no pain during treatment, the system

The change from the mass production and consumption

to be installed at the hospital will reduce patient burden further

society of the 20th century to a 21st century society that values

by treating the patient in an upright position. This system will

the environment and diversity is rapidly occurring. So there is

be provided by Leo Cancer Care as an additional option toa growing movement to review companies, work styles, andconventional treatment in the supine position.

communities from the perspective of happiness or, in otherTo improve the efficacy and sophistication of radiotherapy

Assurance

Hitachi Sustainability Report 2023

024

words, wellbeing.

further, Hitachi and Gunma University, a leading Japanese

Hitachi established Happiness Planet, Ltd. in 2020 toinstitution in the field of radiation oncology, jointly establisheddevelop software applications and services that use data toAdvanced Particle Beam Medical Science Joint Researchenable people and groups to be happy and productive. By

Course (Hitachi, Ltd.) in fiscal year 2022.

analyzing large amounts of data, we discovered that people

In regenerative medicine and cell therapy, we initiatedin happy and productive groups are more likely to havejoint research with Kyoto University and Rebirthel Co., Ltd.

triangular-­shaped connections, whereas those in unhappy

to promote the use of allogeneic T-cell therapy, an effective

groups have V-shaped ones. The Happiness Planet applica-treatment for cancer. The widespread use of allogeneic

tion helps to create such triangular connections, i.e. Factor X

T-cell therapy, which is more versatile and allows for thefor happy and productive people.

treatment of larger numbers of patients, will require theSmartphone App Screenshot

development of automated cell culture technology that
supplies large quantities of cells with consistent quality.
Hitachi will contribute to the practical application of thisorder to create triangular connections and interactions thattechnology through this joint research.

lead to mutual understanding.

In addition, we built—and are now providing—a platform

In fiscal 2022, Happiness Planet provided services to 140

for the management of both cell and traceability informationcompanies and over 10,000 users. This creation of triangularacross the entire value chain of cell and gene therapy prod-relationships was facilitated in a wide range of organizations inucts. We will also support operational transformation in supply

various sectors, from large corporations to small- andchain management, help shorten lead times, and contribute tomedium-­sized enterprises, in areas ranging from IT, manufac-

the supply of high-quality cell and gene therapy products.

turing, finance, healthcare, and nursing. The Hitachi GroupWe actively support digital drug discovery by pursuing theused this app to create triangular relationships between newprovision and development of digital solutions. For example,
we provide AI analytics services to help in the search foremployees in fiscal 2022. Use of the app strengthened peerTriangular Relationships Essential for Wellbeing in an Organization

biomarkers that indicate the efficacy and adverse effects ofperformance in examinations for IT certifications. We havedrugs. We are also conducting research and developmentwith Axcelead Inc. in drug discovery solutions that utilize

relationships, increased employee motivation, and improved
also seen a significant reduction in employee turnover, which

Since organizations tend to have V-shaped or verticalhas been a problem for many companies recently.

digital technology. Our subsidiary, Hitachi High-Techrelationships with people, we use digital technology to helpSolutions, and Keio University in Japan apply materials

establish the triangular relationships that lead to the creationin IT, OT, and products, Hitachi will continue to pursue

Working with various partners to leverage our strengths­informatics in joint research to improve the developmentalof happy and productive groups. Facilitated by smartphone or­initiatives to create happy workplaces, happy lives, andefficiency of small molecule drugs.

PC apps, people are put into groups of three each week inwellbeing in society.