Talanoa Japan- A portal of best practices to shape the future on climate change

The Eco-First Promotion Council
Unless the Private Sector Acts there will be No Decarbonized Society

https://www.eco1st.jp/

Question 1 – Where are we?
The commitment (planned and/or announced) as well as the actions taken so far that are in line with aims ofParis Agreement, the 1.5/2 degrees’ goal and the transition towards a net-zero emission society by this midcentury
Forty companies (as of July 2018) from a wide range of business fields, each of which has been certified bythe Ministry of the Environment as an Eco-First company, voluntarily formed and now operate the Eco-First
Promotion Council.
The 40 members of the Council are Eco-First companies in their respective industries within Japan andtogether account for 1% or more of Japan’s CO2 discharge volume, which means that the Council has acertain degree of influence.
Utilizing the business networks that link together the different industries, the Council is engaged in
improving and strengthening environmental conservation activities, including cutting-edge and original
climate change countermeasures, with a view to achieving the twin goals of global environmental
conservation and global implementation of sustainable development, both of which are increasing inimportance.

Progress made so far against the above commitments, including success stories, case studies and gaps
Since its establishment in 2009, member companies have gone beyond the confines of their own industries
to actively share information regarding climate change to society in general, and have likewise applied theirtechnology and efforts for the same purpose, examples of which are shown below.
• Eco-Life Fair Exhibits (Environmental awareness events for the general public)• Ecotowaza (Eco Proverb) Contest (Environmental awareness events for primary and junior high schoolstudents)• Sustainable Café (A place for interaction and sharing information with university students who have a highdegree of environmental awareness)• Collaboration with NPOs engaged in environmental activities• Participation in symposia hosted by the Ministry of the Environment (Sharing information to the generalpublic and enterprises about examples of cutting-edge environmental measures)• Support and backing for measures regarding climate change carried out by the Ministry of theEnvironment• Talanoa Dialogue submissions and support activities
Furthermore, the Council and its member companies are of the opinion that when it comes to efforts totackle environmental problems, progress cannot be expected without profitable activities, and have been
conscious of the fact that progress must be achieved through the creation of profit. There are many examples
of member companies having expanded their own business activities while playing a leadership role interms of climate change countermeasures.
During the period between 2013 and 2017, 60% or more*1 of companies expanded their own business andsince 2017, 57% or more*2 of companies have sought to do so.
*1 Of the 40 companies that are members of the Council, replies were received from 33, which was used as the denominator incalculations.

*2 Of the 40 companies that are members of the Council, replies were received from 33, which was used as the denominator incalculations. 19 companies reported an increase, 12 companies were unclear or did not release data, and two companies
reported a decrease.

Quantitative impact so far with respect to mitigation, adaptation, resilience and/or finance
The member companies of the Council have made both quantitative and qualitative voluntary promises tothe Ministry of the Environment regarding greenhouse gas emissions and environmental conservation in
general, and those promises are among the highest targets in their respective industries, the achievement of
which will make them forerunners. In order to achieve these high goals, the Council facilitates the sharingof information between companies, and functions as a place of co-creation.

Question 2 - Where do we want to go?
Vision of the future for your organization and/or sector in terms of its possible role in achieving the 1.5/2
degrees’ goal and a net-zero emission world by this mid-century
Looking toward the future, the Council recognizes that it is necessary to be able to offer something that
contributes to not only the alleviation of climate change, but also the growth of member companies for thebenefit of all stakeholders.
Firstly, the Council plans to take up the challenge of tackling the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions(decoupling), with member companies continuing with corporate expansion through profit creation while
playing a leading role in the popularization of climate change countermeasures.
The Council also believes that spreading the Eco-First philosophy within Japan and overseas will promote
the use of technologies and know-how concerning greenhouse gas emission control in Asia and beyond,thereby achieving even greater goals that would be impossible for the member companies of the Council toachieve by themselves.

Possible and potential new commitments and pledges of to achieve the 1.5/2 degrees’ goal and a net-zeroemission world by this mid-century
The Council believes that it is possible to increase the number of stakeholders by balancing the economic
growth of the companies involved with measures to alleviate climate change. In the future, we believe that
as we seek to bring benefit not just to our own members but to a much wider audience, the Eco-First attitude
will come to be adopted by people across global communities, leading to the realization of ZET (Net-ZeroEnergy Towns or Zero Emission Towns), which is an extension of the concepts of ZEH*3 and ZEB*4, andthat this will ultimately lead to the further development of society.
*3 Net Zero Energy House: Houses that are built with the aim of achieving a net balance of Zero in terms ofthe total amount of primary energy used on an annual basis.
*4 Net Zero Energy Buildings: Buildings that are built with the aim of achieving the net balance of Zero interms of the total amount of primary energy used on an annual basis.

Question 3 - How do we get there?
Ways in which the UN Climate Change process can help you achieve your vision and goals, and how youractions can help in expediting sustainable transitions to climate neutral societies
We believe that proactive sharing of information and education regarding the risks associated with climatechange through the UNFCCC process can cause changes in the awareness of individuals and the direction
taken by companies, and that such changes will greatly impact the value of the Council in a positive way. It
can be expected that increasing the value of the Council will lead it to more effectively influence andcommunicate with others, which in turn will indirectly promote the transition to a decarbonized society.

Concrete solutions that have been realized while implementing your commitments, including lessons learnt
from success stories and challenges, and case studies that are in line with the 1.5/2 degrees’ goal and cansupport the Parties in achieving their NDC goals, enable higher ambition and inspire engagement of othernon-state actors
One of the strong points of the Council is that it is a group consisting of companies that have a certain
degree of influence over their respective industry in Japan.
Each member company is aware of their responsibility to be a leader to not only other companies but alsosociety as a whole, increasing awareness regarding the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions inthe movement to a decarbonized society.
Even in the context of this submission to the Talanoa Dialogue the Council is aware of this role. In light ofthis responsibility, the Council will seek to actively contribute to measures that go beyond the commitments
embodied in Japan’s NDC goals, rather than just be content with the status quo.
The Council also plans to work with industries that produce a large volume of greenhouse gas emissions inJapan to help them to take environmental measures, such as those that seek to deal with climate change.

Collaboration models with other stakeholders and, in particular, between non-Party stakeholders, national
governments and the UN Climate Change process that have been successful in helping you, or can help you,achieve your commitments
The Council exchanges information with the Ministry of the Environment at least twice a month and uses
such information to gain a deeper understanding of the Japanese government’s climate change
countermeasures and to the actively participate in such measures.
For example, the Ministry of the Environment is deploying the Cool Choice national campaign to achieve
the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals committed to by Japan, and the Council and member
companies are engaged in the promotion and support of this campaign.
The Council also participates in the Eco-Life Fair hosted by the Ministry of the Environment every year,
and is set up to actively cooperate and collaborate with the Ministry of the Environment in its efforts topromote Talanoa JAPAN.

Through government-private sector partnerships, we share information regarding environmental
conservation, including climate change countermeasures, to raise awareness in society as a whole.
Opportunities to further scale up action and means to address barriers that can enable even further action by
non-Party stakeholders based on the actions you have taken to implement your commitments. (“We’ve madeprogress and have made new commitments as described above. This is what I need from national governments,
other non-Party stakeholders and the UN Climate Change process to take even further action…”)•Collaboration/cooperation opportunities• We created opportunities for the member companies of the Council to work together.
• We took the lead in supporting the effort of the Ministry of the Environment to promote a decarbonizedsociety.
• We cooperated with environmental NPOs.

•Lessons learned based on the experience and progress so far

In the global efforts to tackle climate change, what one small group of companies can achieve is ratherlimited. Therefore, the Council recognizes the need to increase the number of stakeholders that can be
involved in these activities and create a much greater movement.