■Summary

Panasonic's founder, Konosuke Matsushita once said, "Human wisdom will progress infinitely, therefore through our creativity we will attain all the resources we require."

Global warming is becoming an increasingly serious problem. There's not a moment to waste in breaking mankind's dependence on fossil fuels.

Panasonic is no exception. Against this backdrop, the company made a proclamation.

For the company to produce more energy than it consumes by 2050.

To have the total amount of energy produced through Panasonic technologies like its high share of innovative storage batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, and so forth, exceed the energy used in manufacturing and by end users of the products.

To realize a truly sustainable, energy self-sufficient society.

And the people who'll make this happen, are none other than each and every consumer. Panasonic's innovation is already out there in the real world, helping to drive the coming energy shift.

■Cultural information

Japanese people's consciousness has an engrained sense of the ancient Shinto concept of yaoyorozu, or eight million deities. In Japan, people have long believed that spirits reside in all things in nature and the whole of creation. Broader than simple animism, it translates into the underlying ideology of Japanese people's egalitarian, non-discriminatory nature. The national character of seeing spirits in plants and animals has a certain sensitivity as to even attribute humanlike qualities to an inorganic matter like petroleum.

■Social behaviour and Cultural insights

In Japanese society, class divisions have become more ambiguous than previously, and the boundary between consumers and manufacturers has likewise become looser, making it a fertile land for co-creation to occur. Therefore, the Japanese company Panasonic, seeks not only to one-sidedly implement their solutions but also possibilities for sustainability through co-creation with consumers.