Nippon Keidanren is a comprehensive economic organization established to accelerate the growth of Japan’s and the world’s economy and to strengthen corporations to create additional value. Its membership of 1,662 is comprised of companies, industrial associations and regional economic organizations.

Charters for the business world
Nippon Keidanren published its Global Environment Charter in April 1991. In its introduction, the charter states that “By showing that it takes environmental issues seriously, the business world can gain the trust and sympathy of the public. This will foster a mutually beneficial relationship between producers and consumers, thereby encouraging the healthy development of the economy.” The charter’s underlying philosophy is that “Each company must aim at being a good global corporate citizen, recognizing that grappling with environmental issues is essential to its own existence and its activities”.

In order to turn these aspirations into action, Keidanren provides the following guiding principles: Protect the global environment and improve the local life environment; Protect ecosystems and conserve resources; Ensure the environmental soundness of products; and Protect the health and safety of employees and citizens.

To achieve these, we request member companies to establish and maintain a management system. In September 1991, Nippon Keidanren also released a Charter for Good Corporate Behaviour to help build trust with stakeholders. This charter emphasizes the importance of combating global warming; working toward the realization of a sound material-cycle society; and conserving biodiversity. The charter also calls on companies to own up to their corporate social responsibilities.

A fund for nature
As a follow-up to its Environment Charter, Keidanren established, in 1992, the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund (KNCF) for supporting the NGO work on conservation. The creation of the Fund was well received by various environmental platforms, including the 1992 Rio de Janeiro ‘Earth Summit’ as well as from various international organizations, such as the World Conservation Union (IUCN). KNCF also attended the First IUCN World Conservation Congress (Montreal, 1996).

Until the establishment of the KNCF, relationships between corporations and NGOs in Japan were often antagonistic. The establishment of the fund helped alleviate these tensions by providing concrete opportunities for the corporate world and environmental organizations to cooperate. Nippon Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation (NKCNC), which administers the Fund, continues to encourage its members to develop partnerships, including biodiversity. Testimony to the importance of our shift towards addressing environmental issues, in 1996, NKCNC became an IUCN member.

KNCF receives over 150 applications for funds each year with requests coming from all over the world, especially from developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. A steering committee is in charge of judging and selecting projects. To date, the Fund has supported 676 projects, representing JPY 2bn (at the end of 2006 fiscal year).

Partnerships
In 2003, KNCF and NKCNC celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Fund by issuing a declaration as well as guidelines for concrete actions to promote a ‘society in which the economy and the environment exist in harmony’. The declaration promotes raising the awareness of companies on their impacts biodiversity; the exchange of information and knowledge between the business world and environmental organizations; and the use of management and technical skills available within the companies to address environmental challenges.

NKCNC has organized several activities to enhance partnerships between business and environmental groups including: Holding a symposium to present joint projects; Hosting workshops and poster sessions to promote technical exchange; Providing regular opportunities for NGOs to report back on progress of KNCF supported projects; Sponsoring meetings on nature conservation, as organized by the World Bank, IUCN and others.

In February 2006, KNCF and NKCNC organized the ‘Mottainai’ and nature conservation symposium, with the participation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. Her message, namely that world peace can be attained through the conservation of nature, was a source of inspiration for all in attendance.

Examples of supported projects
NKCNC member corporations also support the projects and cooperate with NGOs by providing additional funds, techniques and human resources, e.g. voluntary participation of employees.

Conservation of dormice and popularization of animal pathway (Hokuto-city, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan) — The Japanese Dormouse Preservation and Research Group works to protect the endangered Japanese dormouse, through research and surveys on dormouse behaviour; the development of innovative forest management initiatives; and environmental awareness. Research (in Japan and the UK) involves observation of dormice living and climbing patterns. This has allowed for the design of a low-cost bridge on treetops that enables animals to cross roads safely on sites where a road or railroad has interrupted forest habitat. Japanese construction corporations, Taisei Corporation and Shimizu Corporation, have been participating in the Animal-Pathway project by providing expertise.

Biodiversity conservation programme at the World Heritage Site Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (Lijiang and Lao-Jun Mountain, Yunnan province, China) — This project, led by the Asian Green-Culture Association (China), aims at raising local people’s awareness of the environment, conserving and maintaining endangered fauna and flora, as well as improving the quality of life and contributing to the development of the sound-material cycle society. The project site, located in the highlands at an altitude above 2,000m, is rich in forests, grasslands, wetlands, and lakes but rapid tourism development and land and water management practices threaten these ecosystems. Richo Company, Ltd. has started supporting this project from 2007.

The Green Carpet project in Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thailand) — Since the late 1980s, mangrove forests on the coastline of southern Thailand have been in decline to allow for the construction of shrimp nursery ponds. Programmes to improve the quality of local people’s life environment and restore the rich biodiversity in the lost mangroves have been developed by the Research Association for Global Mangrove (Japan) and the Thai Union for Mangrove Rehabilitation and Conservation (Thailand). This covers planting mangroves, following-up surveys and analyzing CO2 levels. Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. and others have supported planting mangroves in the past.

The road to 2010
Earlier this year, NKCNC was pleased to participate in the symposium on business and biodiversity organized by Biodiversity Network Japan and the Japan Committee for IUCN in Tokyo. We also organized a very fruitful dialogue between NKCNC and the CBD Secretariat Focal point for business. Based on the positive feedback received by our member companies, we are, for instance, looking into organizing a business and biodiversity conference. Clearly, Nippon Keidanren is determined to play a key role as this important agenda unfolds.

I see two other major opportunities for the Japanese business community in the near future. The first has to do with the Japanese government’s own efforts to engage more actively with the business community in the framework of the National Biodiversity Strategy. Our members have responded very favourably to this move. Secondly, the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties — which Japan has offered to host — provides an important platform which we cannot miss. Keidanren looks forward to showcasing, in 2010, the concrete steps taken by its members to better aligning their policies and practices with the objectives of the Convention.

Yoshihito Iwama (iwama@keidanren.or.jp) is Executive Director, Nippon Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation.