NSK Hits Green Targets with Sustainability Initiatives

The NSK Group of Companies (Ann Arbor, MI) released the results of its worldwide corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives over the past year. With an ambitious program for a sustainable business that protects the global environment, NSK reached all major environmental targets for 2008 and is giving customers greener choices with 14 new environmentally friendly products this year alone.

NSK Corporation is a member of the NSK Ltd. group of companies headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. As one of the world's leading bearing manufacturers, it produces and distributes over 100,000 different types of bearings, linear motion and automotive component products. In the U.S., NSK operates with strategically located distribution centers that supply both the original equipment and industrial distribution market. Its network of authorized distributors have the expertise, inventory and delivery systems to meet industry needs.

"Part of NSK's Corporate Social Responsibility commitment includes educating employees, suppliers, customers and partners about greener product alternatives and practices. Beyond our environmental endeavors we are also committed to supporting a stronger, healthier community," says Brian Lindsay, CEO, NSK Corporation. "By doing so, we not only ensure that we reach global corporate sustainability goals, but also make an impact right in our own communities."

Globally, NSK has taken industry-leading steps to:

? achieve a zero emission standard,

? maintain a recycling rate of 98.8 percent,

? cut CO2 emissions by 12.7 percent,

? train 18,346 people on environmental awareness,

? reach a green product purchasing rate of 91 percent , and

? reduce energy consumed per production unit by 3 percent.

To support these efforts, U.S. based NSK Corporation has demonstrated its commitment to good corporate citizenship. The NSK staff joined forces to raise over $23,000 for the United Way Day of Caring in May. In October, a team of 179 NSK staff members raised more than $12,000 for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, where the company was also a flagship sponsor for the second year in a row.

During this year's holiday season, NSK employees will be collecting donations for Food Gatherers, local nursery schools and Big Brothers/Big Sisters Adopt a Family program, all of which are local Ann Arbor, Michigan, organizations making a difference in the community.

NSK's CSR and Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) efforts have earned the company recognition on international SRI indices including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, the FTSE4Good Global Benchmark Index, the Ethibel Sustainability Index, the Morningstar Japan SRI Index and the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations list from the World Economic Forum.