Eco First Program
In Japan, the Ministry of the Environment has introduced the Eco First Program. In order to become an Eco First Company under the Eco First Program, a company must commit (Eco First Commitment) to the Ministry of the Environment that it will undertake certain voluntary environmental protection initiatives in accordance with the following standards.
- Based on the Kyoto Protocol’s goals for countering global warming, a company must specify its environmental protection goals and carry out innovative and unique activities aimed at realising these goals in its capacities as an industry top-runner company.
- The company must carry out environmental protection initiatives that set the national standard.
- The company must establish structures for verifying its progress toward pledged goals and report on such progress either directly to the Ministry of the Environment or through public announcement.
An Eco First Company is permitted to use the Ministry of the Environment’s Eco First symbol (shown above) in publication and advertising.
Various Japanese companies have joined this program.
For instance, the Lion Corporation.
The outline of the Lion Corporation’s Eco First committment.
| I. | Initiatives toward Global Warming Prevention |
| 1. | CO2 emission reductions from business activities: |
| • | Reducing CO2 emissions in business activities by 40% below 1990 levels (throughout manufacturing, administrative, marketing and research activities) by 2020 (the goal for 2012: 20% reduction). | |
| • | Reducing specific energy consumption by an average of 1% annually by promoting joint logistics with competitor manufacturers and a modal shift. |
| 2. | CO2 emission reductions from Lion products after household use: |
| • | Reducing CO2 emissions by 88% below 1990 levels from products consumed in the home by 2020 by switching to carbon neutral plant-based raw materials as the basic ingredients for detergents and related products, while taking into consideration sustainable procurement. |
| 3. | A gross reduction in CO2 emissions from business activities and products after household use: |
| • | A combined reduction of CO2 emissions from business activities and from products after household use by 67% below 1990 levels by 2020. (the goal for 2012: reduction by half) |
| II. | Initiatives for creating a recycle-based society |
| • | Promoting the 3R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) for containers and packaging. | |
| • | Reducing the amount of plastic used for containers and packaging (e.g. the amount of plastic used per product shipment in the eight key toiletries product categories) to 70% or lower of its 1995 levels by the year 2009. | |
| • | Reducing the total waste generation during 2009 to 60% or lower of its 1990 level, and reducing the volume of non-recycled final waste landfill to 10% or lower. |
| III. | Actively promoting safety checks and risk communication for chemical substances |
Via - Lion Corporation
! very nice , finally a good blog...
Leave a Reply