More Japanese Industries Setting Voluntary Targets to Reduce CO2 Emissions

Organizations representing four industrial sectors in Japan have raised their original voluntary targets to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and seven more have set targets since December 21, 2007, it was reported at a joint meeting of the Central Environment Council of Japan's Ministry of the Environment and the Industrial Structure Council of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on March 17, 2008. The organizations established their targets in response to a voluntary action plan laid out by the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) in 1997. The report presented at the joint meeting detailed how such initiatives are also gaining momentum among non-member industries of the federation.

Three organizations in the retail and service sector and one in the industrial sector have set new, more ambitious targets. For example, the Japan Chain Stores Association, has set the target of a 4 percent reduction in energy intensity, double its previous target of 2 percent from the fiscal 1996 level. It is estimated that all these additional reduction targets, once met, will result in 290,000 fewer tons of CO2 emitted. Organizations representing six other categories in the retail and service sector and one in the transport sector have also established goals recently, including the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan, which set a target of 10 percent energy intensity reduction from fiscal 2004 levels.

The Nippon Keidanren's voluntary action plan is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to below fiscal 1990 levels by 2010. In 2005, organizations representing 34 categories of businesses in each sector and 80 percent of companies in industrial and energy conversion sectors established numerical targets. The establishment of CO2 reduction targets will be extended next to the commercial sector, such as offices and stores, and the transport sector, in accordance with the revision of the Action Plan to Achieve the Kyoto Target approved by the Cabinet on March 28, 2008.

http://www.env.go.jp/en/
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- Japan's Major Industries Reduce 2005 CO2 Emissions by 0.6% over 1990 (Related JFS article)
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- Major Japanese Industries Commit to Join Fight to Prevent Global Warming (Related JFS article)
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Posted: 2008/08/30 09:48:09 AM