products in school lunch. But the main purpose of shokuiku is to have children acquire the fundamental habits of "leaving no food uneaten" and "having a sense of gratitude." This is applicable to household efforts to reduce food waste. Among things individuals can do immediately are to understand the meanings of the use-by date and the expiration date and try to finish up food as food past the use-by date does not become inedible, avoid buying too much food by confirming kinds and amounts of food kept in a refrigerator before going shopping, and finish up purchased food in order by confirming the use-by and expiration dates.

## (3) Consideration for biodiversity in initiatives by businesses

Businesses have the important role of providing benefits of biodiversity widely to society through their products and services. In a public opinion survey conducted by the Cabinet Office in June 2009, 82% of respondents said they highly rate corporate activities paying heed to biodiversity. Operations of businesses are supported by attitudes of consumers and have to change in response to consumption behavior of each citizen. At the same time, businesses are expected to make their activities more biodiversity-friendly and encourage a shift in consumer lifestyles by offering products and services that pay greater heed to biodiversity.

Activities by businesses give an impact on biodiversity in various situations and also benefit from biodiversity. For example, food, wood, paper, fiber, fuel and water are essential for business activities. A variety of genes are useful for development of pharmaceutical products and cultivar improvement. Aside from the supply of material, stable climate and prevention of natural disasters such as landslides and floods are necessary for stable business activities. Furthermore, technological innovation is often inspired by forms and functions found in the natural world. This is called “bio-mimicry,” meaning mimicry of living organisms, and one of the well-known examples is the design of the lead vehicle of Shinkansen bullet train shaped like the halcyon beak to reduce pneumatic resistance.

Meanwhile, development and utilization of iron ores and other mineral resources as well as oil and other fossil fuels affect biodiversity through land conversion and global warming. Disposal of waste, treatment of drainage water and construction of business offices and industrial plants may also affect biodiversity in their processes. Furthermore, we may get involved with biodiversity through investment in and loans to economic activities as well as social action programs.

As seen above, whether we are in agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, construction industry and manufacturing industry or in retail industry, financial services industry and mass media, we affect biodiversity and rely on its benefits through utilization of biological resources, supply chain and investment and loans. Such benefits and impacts occur both at home and abroad. In particular, Japan bestowed with few natural resources depends on other countries for their supply, and we must not forget that our present livelihoods are underpinned by exploitation of ecosystem services overseas.

While efforts by businesses so far have rather centered

Table3-3-1 Examples of Risks and Opportunities in Business Activities

Type	Examples of risks and opportunities
Operational	risks	·Scarcity of raw material inputs or increased costs of procurement of material inputs, such as due to declines in living resources·Reduced output or productivity, or disruption of business operations, due to declines in living resources availability
opportunities	·Development of production processes that are less affected by scarcity of material inputs, by means of sustainable use or reduction in use of living resources·Strengthening of the supply chain through the promotion of actions by suppliers
Regulatory /legal	risks	·Imposition of fines, suspension or rejection of licenses or permits, lawsuits, etc. due to legal violations related to biodiversity·Cuts in quotas for living resources or imposition of new user fees
opportunities	·Official approval received to expand operations thanks to consideration of biodiversity·Development or sales of new products that comply with new regulations, etc. related to biodiversity
Reputational	risks	·Damage to brand or corporate image, and risk to social "license to operate" due to discovery of negative impacts on biodiversity
opportunities	·Demonstration of consideration of biodiversity improves brand image, appeals to customers, and differentiates company from others in the industry·Consideration of biodiversity helps to obtain the understanding of the local community or strengthen relationships with local residents and other stakeholders
Markets/products	risks	·Loss of customers due to promotion of green procurement in public and private sectors·Decline in market competitiveness of products or services due to lower environmental product quality
opportunities	·Development of products and services that consider biodiversity, and new markets for certified products, etc.·Development of new technology, products, etc. that promote conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.·Appeal to consumers who have high ethical sensitivity for environmentally concerned, corporation and products, etc.
Financing	risks	·Potential refusal of financing requests due to more rigorous lending criteria at financial institutions
opportunities	·Appeal to investors who emphasize social responsibility
Internal	risks	·Decline in employees' morale
opportunities	·Improved employees' morale

on activities related to corporate social responsibility (CSR), from now on, it will become important for them to address biodiversity in their main business lines. As the direction of efforts by businesses, the Guidelines for Private Sector Engagement in Biodiversity state that businesses should (1) strive to grasp linkages between business operations and biodiversity (benefits and impacts); (2) strive for mitigation of impacts on biodiversity and sustainable utilization of biodiversity; (3) strive to enhance structures to promote efforts on biodiversity. Businesses' involvement with biodiversity is varied depending on the category and size of their operations. It is important for each business operator to understand linkages between its business operations and biodiversity, and then proceed with efforts in order of priority while taking feasibility into account.

Businesses’ efforts on biodiversity involve both risks and opportunities (Table 3-3-1). For example, while work to review the procurement of raw materials from the perspective of biodiversity may require additional costs, reduced risks related to the procurement of raw materials are expected to help stabilize business management. Japan depends on overseas for about 60% of food, about 80% of timber and almost all of mineral resources and