Climate change and similar threats to the global environment are becoming more serious year by year, and international society is calling on corporations to take strong action in response to these threats and make their businesses sustainable, while national governments and other authorities continue to draw up various regulations and voluntary rules. These regulations and rules, however, have been formulated mainly in Europe; and since they cannot be said to adequately reflect issues particular to Japan and the rest of Asia, there are concerns about their future impact on the competitiveness of corporations in this part of the world. The PwC Japan Group believes that engaging in constructive discussions about how to make business sustainable, taking into account regional factors and making proposals to international society are essential for attaining sustainable growth.
Amidst these circumstances, the PwC Japan Group, together with business leaders actively engaged in sustainability management, has launched the Executive Sustainability Forum as one of the few current examples in Japan of private companies taking the initiative in creating venues for the exchange of views by business leaders. The Forum will conduct fact-finding surveys on sustainability trends in Japan and the rest of Asia, including among local companies, start-ups and others, and on this basis will carry on discussions at regular intervals with business leaders on how to make business sustainable, then issue proposals and related information to the public.
Overview of the Forum
- Founder: PwC Japan Group
- Forum meetings: To be held twice annually (planned)
- Meetings
- #1 : 24 November 2022: Decarbonisation in Asia and Japan’s role
- #2 : 2 June 2023: Circular economy in Japan and the ASEAN region
- #3 : 28 November and 5 December 2023: Japan and ASEAN countries collaborate to create the future of a circular economy
- #4 : 26 June and 12 July 2024: The forum strengthens activities to achieve a circular economy
Founding member corporations and their representatives
*In Japanese syllabary order by company name
| Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Member of the Board, Representative Executive Officer, President & CEO |
Taro Fujie |
| Japan Bank for International Cooperation Governor |
Nobumitsu Hayashi |
| JERA Co., Inc. Global CEO and Chair |
Yukio Kani |
| The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited Representative Director, President |
Toshiaki Sumino |
| Teijin Limited President and CEO, Representative Director of the Board |
Akimoto Uchikawa |
| Development Bank of Japan Inc. Chairman |
Mitsuru Ota |
| Nomura Holdings, Inc. President and Group CEO |
Kentaro Okuda |
| Fujitsu Limited Representative Director, CEO |
Takahito Tokita |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Director, President and Representative Executive Officer, CEO |
Toshihiro Mibe |
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, Inc. |
Toru Takakura |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. President & CEO |
Seiji Izumisawa |
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Member of the Board of Directors, Chairman |
Kanetsugu Mike |
| PwC Japan Group Group Representative |
Masataka Kubota |
Achievements
In January 2024, the Forum issued a joint statement summarising the outcome of discussions and outlook on future prospects.
Supporting companies
The Executive Sustainability Forum is dedicated to contributing to the development of a circular economy and carbon neutrality within ASEAN by facilitating the exchange of information across countries and industries. To enhance this mission, the forum has onboarded new Supporting Member Companies from the ASEAN region to actively participate in these initiatives and share valuable insights.
Planned activities
The Forum will be a venue for ongoing studies of how to eliminate the trade-offs between growth and sustainability in Asia, achieving both, and of the kind of growth to be pursued in a new era. The topics to be examined include, forging alliances with various companies in Asia, from major corporations to start-ups, as specific ways for Japanese corporations to take the leadership in market creation. The discussions and proposals by participating business leaders will further be communicated actively to the world, including through presentations at international conferences.
