Seminar Report (May 2018, 4)
Seminar Report (May 2018, 4)
What does responsible timber procurement and product manufacturing mean in the ESG era?
- Considering timber due diligence to achieve the SDGs -
TraceabilityIn recent years, with growing interest in climate change and global warming prevention measures, efforts to prevent deforestation in the private sector (so-called Zero Deforestation) have been attracting attention. The background to this is that the investment policies of the global financial world are shifting to ESG investments that take into account environmental, social, and governance factors. The total investment amount is said to be 2500 trillion yen.
On the other hand, tropical forests, which are rich in biodiversity, are still in a steady decline. In order to address the problem of illegal logging, which is one of the causes of this, developed countries such as Europe, the United States, and Australia have established laws to prevent the inflow of illegally logged timber into their regions and require businesses to conduct due diligence (thorough confirmation).
In May 2016, Japan also enacted the Clean Wood Act, encouraging businesses to conduct due diligence and increasing the distribution of legally harvested timber, thereby reducing the distribution of illegally harvested timber.
This seminar focused on "due diligence," which is an important key to responsible timber procurement, and aimed to deepen basic understanding, discussing the significance, importance, and benefits of implementing it.
【Webinar Summary】
Date: Thursday, August 2018, 4 26:13-30:17
Venue: Waseda University Okuma Memorial Hall Small Auditorium
(Near the main gate of Waseda Campus (1-6-1 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku))
【Program】
Lecture 1 Global trends in environmental and socially conscious investment (ESG investment) (916kb. pdf)
Professor Tsuyoshi Mizuguchi, Faculty of Economics, Takasaki City University of Economics
Lecture 2 Overview of the Clean Wood Act (647kb. pdf)
Ms. Tomoe Matsuyama, Assistant Director, Wood Utilization Division, Forestry Agency
<Dialogue Session> How to use Clean Wood Navi
Lecture 3: Case studies of companies implementing due diligence
・AEON Co., Ltd. (1mb.pdf)
・Karimoku Furniture Co., Ltd. (2mb.pdf)
・Maruhon Co., Ltd. (910kb. pdf)
・Wise-Wise Co., Ltd.
General discussion/Panel discussion
・Moderator Associate Professor, Tropical Agriculture Research Center, Kyushu University (260kb. pdf)
・Speakers
[Sponsored]
Waseda University Institute for Environmental Studies W-BRIDGE Project, Kyushu University Tropical Agriculture Research Center, International environmental NGO Friends of the Earth Japan
[Seminar Outline]
The event was attended by 127 people, most of whom were business people, and many of them were from the timber industry, who showed great interest.
This seminar was held as part of the Waseda University Environmental Research Center's W-BRIDGE project, "Publicizing and raising awareness of fair wood procurement to improve the effectiveness of the Clean Wood Law."
Related Links
Past webinar (held on June 2020, 6)Supply chain management for sustainable timber procurement: Delivering risk-free timber products to end usersThe report ofCLICK HERE .
Past seminar (held on December 2019, 12)What will happen to the world's forests with ESG investment? Will deforestation stop if the flow of money changes?The report ofCLICK HERE .
Past seminar (held on December 2019, 5)New trends in timber supply chains in the SDGs era: What is timber due diligence for the sustainable product market?The report ofCLICK HERE .
Past seminar (held on December 2017, 4)Global Illegal Logging Issues and Wood Consumption in Japan: Toward Effective Implementation of the Clean Wood Act" This is a report. For details,CLICK HERE .
The announcement was madeTimber Due Diligence Guidance" and "Timber Due Diligence HandbookIsCLICK HERE .