Monday, November 8, 2021 | The Japan Times | 7

sustainable japan

ESG promotional content
produced by The Japan Times Cube

Principal Trista Bridges shows feasibility and value to shift mindsets

Read the Air guides firms
to sustainable ways
Name: Trista Bridges

Title: Principal and co-founder ofRead the Air and co-author of “Leading
Sustainably”
URL: https://www.readtheair.jp
Hometown: New Jersey
Years in Japan: 6

Leaders & Readers
JOE MUNTALCONTRIBUTING WRITER

As countries around the world pledge toreduce or offset carbon emissions, companies are under pressure to align their operational models with government policy andinvestor expectations. Organizational change
is not a simple task, however, and often it is
the largest, most consequential companies
that have trouble changing trajectory.
This is a problem, because society does
not have the luxury of time in the pursuit ofa sustainable future. As the effects of climatechange and ecological destruction growmore pronounced every year, it is criticalthat businesses reassess their environmental
footprint and impact on society.
Trista Bridges, cofounder and principal of
Read the Air — a business advisory coalition
that helps organizations formulate solutions to sustainable business and operational
needs — understands the urgency of sustainability. However, as a business strategist witha prolific career spanning several countries— including the U.S., the U.K. and France— she also understands that companies do
not change overnight. “Companies are comprised of a system of people — in some cases

hundreds of thousands of people — andeverybody has vested interests,” she said during an interview with the The Japan Times.
“My role as a sustainable business strategist isto help guide them through the process.”
The mission of Bridges and her coalition,
she said, is to “instill the belief that sustainable business models are feasible and canbring value to all stakeholders.” She notedthat demand for her coalition’s sustainablebusiness services is on the rise, citing two
primary factors: Japan’s pledged goal to reachcarbon neutrality by 2050 and global investors’ concerns regarding sustainability issues.
“Japan is currently looking externally for
growth and capital,” Bridges said, “and investors outside Japan are generally concernedwith sustainability-oriented topics, including carbon footprining, SDGs, and diversity,equity, and inclusion.”
Before co-founding Read the Air in 2018,Bridges worked as a general business strategist in a wide range of sectors, including
pharmaceutical products, financial services
and boutique products. As an undergrad andMBA student at the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern University, respectively, she studied consumer behavior andmarketing strategy. After completing herstudies, she worked for the strategy consulting group Monitor Group (now MonitorDeloitte), where she advised prominent multinationals such as Coca-Cola and Cadbury
Schweppes (now owned by Mondelez). In
2006, she joined Thomson Reuters, whereshe focused on strategy and business planning in financial services.
Bridges’ experience in financial services
profoundly affected her perspective on therelationship between business and society.

She joined the field just before the financial
crisis of 2007-2008, during which time shewitnessed how short-sighted business decisions led to global economic catastrophe.
“This event really sparked my interest in how
companies affect the world,” she said. “Generally, when companies make bad decisions
that affect the world, there is fallout, though
it may not occur right away. We may be currently experiencing the consequences ofdecisions that were made a decade ago.”
These observations surrounding businesses’ social responsibility served as theimpetus for Read the Air, the name ofwhich is a literal translation of the Japanese expression “kūki o yomu.” Bridges
explained, “The name is inspired by theJapanese concept of having the ability toread a room and take account of what’s
going on in your surroundings.” Drawing
from this concept, Bridges and her colleagues collaborate with companies to formulate sustainable business models “thatminimize negative impacts on society,including all stakeholders in the broad context — consumers, customers, partners andgovernments — and also produce positive,innovative products that aren’t depletive.”
Bridges noted a recent uptick in interest in sustainable initiatives among businesses. She cited the influence of ESGs
— environmental social and governancecriteria for business operations — which,as countries around the world pledge to hit
certain sustainability targets, are garnering significant attention from investors. “Atfirst, companies — especially larger companies — saw ESG disclosures as a kind of PR
opportunity,” she said. “But what has happened over time is that, because we have

Wide fields, French
literature and wine
Trista Bridges is principal and co-founderof Read the Air.
Before moving to Japan in 2015, Trista
Bridges worked as a business strategy
consultant and leader in a wide range offields, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, media technology, and consumer products. In addition to her roles at
Read the Air, she also serves as principal ofthe consulting firm CapSys Group and asa member of the Tokyo American Club’sboard of governors.
Bridges grew up in New Jersey andreceived her first passport when she
was 24 years old. She has since spent themajority of her career overseas in the U.K.,
France and now Japan. Her move to Tokyo
follows 12 years of life in Paris, which she
considers her “adopted” home.
Fluent in French, Bridges enjoys reading
French literature and discovering novels
through her book club. She is also a wine
connoisseur, taking pleasure in learning
about the connections between wine andregional culture.

HIROMICHI MATONO

all these commitments we need to hit,
there is increased scrutiny over what companies are reporting and whether they’reactually following through with theircommitments.”
In Japan, obstacles to sustainable businessinitiatives partially stem from the corporate
community’s lack of a sense of urgency tochange, Bridges said. “Companies in Japa-

Chimikepp Hotel

Michelin-starred modern French cuisine deep in themountains of Hokkaido

Address
ChimikeppHotel
204 Numasawa, Tsubetsu-cho, Abashirigun, Hokkaido 092-0358, Japan
https://www.chimikepphotel.com/

ROBBIE SWINNERTONCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Surrounded by thick forest, Chimikepp
Hotel lies deep in the mountains of eastern Hokkaido overlooking the unspoiled
waters of Lake Chimikeppu.
Some visitors make their way there forthe winter snowscapes, the summer outdoor activities or just to breathe good clean
air; others because they know they will
dine remarkably well.
While the accommodations look typicalof many a back-country inn, the hotel dining room serves cuisine that sets it apart.
For this, all plaudits are due to chef Masaki
Watanabe.
A native of Shizuoka, he only arrived inHokkaido by happenstance. He had trained
and worked in France and then landed jobs
in California, first at the three-Michelinstarred French Laundry and then at Benuin San Francisco (now also with three stars,
but at the time a hot newcomer). While
waiting to renew his U.S. visa in 2012, hecame up to Chimikepp to help out and wasbowled over by the setting.
Before long he had taken over the hotel
kitchen and revamped the menu. Out
went the tired if ubiquitous Continental
cuisine. In came seasonal local produce.

He sources fish, scallops, urchins andshrimp from the nearby Sea of Okhotsk.
He buys beef and pork from local smallscale farmers. And he only has to stepoutside the hotel to find cep mushrooms
growing wild in summer.
And then there are fowl and other gamemeats. Watanabe prepares a great pate en
croute stuffed with bear, pork and chicken
meat.
He also forages for edible plants in thesurrounding forest. All these end up on hismenu. No surprise to know he now has aMichelin star of his own.

NAOMICHI SUZUKI
HOKKAIDO GOV.

TAICHI SATO
MAYOR OF TSUBETSU

We are delighted that Chimikepp Hotel was selected
to be part of the “JapanTimes Destination Restaurants, 2021.” The hotel islocated in the Okhotsk region of Eastern
Hokkaido; an area rich with nature whereprimeval forest grows thickly. The region
boasts ingredients of world-class quality,
nurtured in this abundant natural setting.
We would like to invite you to come toHokkaido and enjoy chef Masaki Watanabe’s cuisine, which lavishly uses theseasonal ingredients of Okhotsk, while
enjoying the pristine nature by the shore ofLake Chimikeppu.

We are very honored thatthe restaurant in Chimikepp Hotel in the townof Tsubetsu was selected
for the “Destination Restaurant 2021, authentic Japan selection”
list for people from around the world,chosen by Japanese people.”
The inn is located on the shore of theancient Lake Chimikeppu. Our friendly
chef Masaki Watanabe uses local ingredients to create exquisite cuisine.
We hope you will enjoy the delicious
cuisine while listening to the calls of wild
birds by the serene surface of the lake. We
look forward to seeing you soon.

PAGE: 7

nese society are stalwarts of society. They’remassive and employ a lot of people, andhaven’t been challenged like they have beenin Western countries, where a lot of people
who come out of school want to work forstartups or be independent. The perception of companies and their place in society
is much stronger here, which is why theymight not feel the urgency to change.”

Perhaps the biggest hindrance to sustainable business models, however, is society’s
attitude toward convenience and consumption. Convincing society to accept thenotion of consuming less, amid an economic
paradigm where people have grown accustomed to procuring products at the click of abutton, is a formidable endeavor. But Bridges
pointed to several examples of successful
repurposing business models from which
Japan can learn. These include the Frenchsecondhand site Vestiaire Collective, which
recently raised its valuation to $1.7 billion
through a fundraising round — to which a
SoftBank private equity fund invested $209
million — as well as the French refurbishedelectronics startup Back Market.
“You only have to visit Akihabara to seethat Japan is very good at repairing andrepurposing products,” Bridges noted. “Thisis a space where Japan can do a lot better,because they’re already doing it.”