Honda U.S. Sales Headquarters Earns CarbonNeutral Certification

Honda announced that its U.S. sales headquarters in Torrance achieved CarbonNeutral building certification, marking a key step in reducing operational emissions.

Honda has achieved CarbonNeutral® building certification at its U.S. sales headquarters in Torrance, California, making the site the first Honda facility in North America to reach this milestone. At the same time, the campus has been designated as the region’s first Honda Innovation Site, intended to serve as a testing ground for approaches to reducing carbon emissions and broader environmental impacts.

The certification covers both direct emissions from on-site operations and indirect emissions related to energy use. Verification was carried out by Climate Impact Partners in line with the requirements of The CarbonNeutral Protocol, a framework that has been in use for more than two decades and is updated on a regular basis.

The Torrance campus spans 101 acres and employs approximately 2,400 associates. It houses product design studios, a data center, a parts distribution center and the main offices of Honda’s U.S. sales organization. According to the company, infrastructure upgrades alone have reduced annual carbon emissions by more than 2,000 metric tons of CO₂, with an additional 2,600 metric tons addressed through renewable energy initiatives.

A major contributor is the on-site solar power system, which generates around 3,300 megawatt-hours of electricity each year and supplies roughly 22% of the campus’s total power demand. The site has also transitioned entirely to LED lighting, improved heating and cooling efficiency, and entered into a 120-megawatt virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) designed to add clean energy capacity to the grid.

Emissions that could not yet be eliminated were compensated through the purchase of verified carbon credits linked to regenerative agriculture and soil carbon sequestration. These credits were independently verified and issued under the Climate Action Reserve’s U.S. Soil Enrichment Protocol.

Beyond carbon neutrality, the Torrance Innovation Site has introduced a range of additional environmental measures. Enhanced waste sorting and composting systems divert an average of 95% of campus waste from landfills each year. Water-saving upgrades have reduced consumption, a pollinator garden has been established to support local biodiversity, and employees are actively involved in environmental programs and species monitoring across the site.

The project aligns with Honda’s broader decarbonization strategy. The company continues to pursue its goal of making battery-electric and fuel cell-electric vehicles account for 100% of its global vehicle sales by 2040, while also working to reduce emissions across its supply chain and develop a more circular use of materials.

In this context, the Torrance campus functions as more than a certified building. As an Innovation Site, it represents a practical model for solutions that could be replicated across Honda’s North American operations, offering a glimpse into how the company may scale its environmental initiatives in the years ahead.