Honda has achieved CarbonNeutral® building certification for its U.S. sales headquarters in Torrance, California, marking the first Honda site in North America to reach this milestone. The certification represents a key step in the company’s broader strategy to decarbonise operations while testing scalable solutions for wider deployment across its footprint.

The 101-acre Torrance campus, operated by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., employs around 2,400 people and now serves as Honda’s first designated “Innovation Site” in the region. The site is intended to act as a proving ground for technologies, processes, and behavioural initiatives aimed at cutting carbon emissions and other environmental impacts.

Achieving Carbon Neutrality Through Energy and Efficiency

The CarbonNeutral® certification covers Scope 1 direct emissions and Scope 2 emissions from purchased energy. Verification was carried out by Climate Impact Partners in line with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. Honda reports that on-site upgrades have reduced annual emissions by more than 2,000 metric tonnes, with a further 2,600 metric tonnes addressed through renewable energy initiatives.

Key measures include a large on-site solar installation generating approximately 3,300 MWh per year, supplying around 22 percent of the campus’s electricity needs. Additional reductions come from a campus-wide transition to LED lighting, improved heating and cooling efficiency, and participation in a 120-MW virtual power purchase agreement that adds clean electricity to the grid.

Residual emissions that cannot yet be eliminated have been addressed through the purchase of verified carbon credits, including soil carbon removals linked to regenerative agriculture.

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Beyond Carbon: Waste, Water, and Biodiversity

Honda has paired its decarbonisation efforts with initiatives targeting broader environmental impacts. Enhanced waste sorting and composting systems now divert around 95 percent of campus waste from landfill, while the elimination of single-use plastic water bottles has reduced material consumption. Water-saving upgrades, such as motion-activated taps and efficient irrigation, have significantly lowered water use.

The campus has also introduced a pollinator garden to support local biodiversity, creating habitats for birds and insects while providing employees with green space. Honda emphasises that associate engagement has played a central role, with staff contributing ideas, supporting conservation programmes, and monitoring biodiversity on site.

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Link to Wider Decarbonisation Strategy

The Torrance headquarters initiative aligns with Honda’s wider transition plans, including its goal for battery-electric and fuel cell-electric vehicles to account for 100 percent of global vehicle sales by 2040. The company is also working to cut Scope 3 emissions through supply-chain collaboration, circular material recovery, and increased use of renewable energy across North American operations.

By positioning its U.S. sales headquarters as an Innovation Site, Honda is signalling that operational decarbonisation, energy efficiency, and employee participation are central pillars of its climate strategy, with lessons from Torrance expected to inform future upgrades across offices, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities.

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