Due to the higher level of environmental conservation awareness among individuals in recent years, environmental-related financial products have drawn attention. Socially responsible investment (SRI) means to invest in businesses not only from the financial aspect of profitability but also according to efforts made by such businesses to tackle environmental and social problems. Among the socially responsible investment products, the ecofund is an investment trust that focuses on the environment and actively invests in businesses that undertake good environmental measures or have high environmental performance.

Japan’s history of SRI is short compared to countries in Europe and the US. At one time, the asset value of the eco-fund had reached an amount that exceeded 200 billion yen. Since then, due to a downturn in the stock market and other factors, the amount has shrunk to below 100 billion yen today.

Investors who have already made socially responsible investments, such as in the ecofund, account for only 0.4% in Japan as a whole. Many said that they do not have enough information on SRI. Providing the public with information on the contents and concept of SRI, preparing informative investment reports, and training sales people to become knowledgeable about such products, are effective measures for generating actual investment activities in the future.

Major Environmental Labels

(1) Environmental labels certified by a third party (Type 1: ISO 14024)

Mark and name	Certifying body	Summary
Eco Mark	Japan Environment Association	It is a product certification system that contributes to environmental conservation by taking into account the product's lifecycle as a whole. The system is applicable to a wide range of products and certification standards are set up for each type of products. This is the only Type I environmental labeling system in Japan that is in line with the ISO Standard (ISO 14024). It is operated by a committee, with wide representation of stakeholders, in Japan Environment Association under jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment.

(2) Environmental labels certified by a third-party or industrial association

[Energy-saving related]

Mark and name	Certifying body	Summary
International Energy Star Program	Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry	This mark is for office equipment, such as personal computers, that fulfills the standard of power consumption in standby mode. It is an international system implemented with the cooperation of the U.S., Japan, etc.
Environment/Energy Excellent Architecture Certification Mark System	Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation	This mark is for buildings that have a certain level of energy saving function while maintaining the level of indoor environment. Display of the mark can improve the image of a company by showing that it is taking environmental and energy measures. It also provides guidance to the public for choosing offices, stores, accommodation facilities, etc.

[Recycling-related]

Mark and name	Certifying body	Summary
R Mark	Zero Waste Partnership Conference	This mark is used voluntarily to show the percentage of recycled pulp content in paper. This system was established by an NPO, Zero Waste Partnership Conference (formerly known as National Conference for Promoting Waste Reduction) founded to reduce waste.
Green Mark	Paper Recycling Promotion Center	This system aims to promote paper recycling by increasing the use of recycled pulp in paper. This mark is for a product made with a certain percentage or more of recycled pulp as raw material.
PET Bottle Recycling Recommendation Mark	The Council for PET Bottle Recycling	The mark is used on products made with recycled PET bottles. It is a system operated by The Council for PET Bottle Recycling, an industrial association consisted of PET bottle manufacturers and raw resin manufacturers.

(3) Voluntary environmental claims by businesses (Type II: ISO 14021)

(4) Indication of the environmental load of products using quantitative data (Type III: ISO 14025)

Mark and name	Certifying body	Summary
Eco Leaf	Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry	This environmental label is used to accomplish the following: (i) provide quantitative environmental information of product using the LCA method and disclose it to the public using the Internet, etc. in order to assist label users in making green purchasing and procurement decisions, and (ii) give incentive to manufacturers to develop, manufacture, and sell products that place less load on the environment. In ISO classification, the label is categorized as Type III Environmental Label, which was determined to be an international standard in November 2002.

Source: Ministry of the Environment