Living in Harmony with Nature
Approach and Policy
Social Issues
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD/COP15) held in Montreal Canada in December 2022. This framework is the successor to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (in place until 2020) and lays out international targets for 2030. The most noteworthy aspect of the GBF is the aim to build a “nature-positive world by 2030.” Alongside “carbon neutrality” and “circular economy,” this aim rounds out the three key phrases for addressing environmental problems. These three phrases are intimately related to solving the problems facing the global environment, which is the foundation for human society, and the international community recognizes the need to address societal transformation in an integrated manner.
In parallel with the move to adopt the GBF, TNFD is being considered to succeed TCFD as a new guideline for disclosing corporate financial information. The release of the official version (v1.0) in September 2023 is expected to encourage investment by companies in helping the world to become nature positive. In light of these international investment trends, delays in recognizing and responding to the company’s business risks related to biodiversity and natural capital will have a negative impact, while preemptively harnessing the company’s core business to contribute to the goal of becoming nature positive, thereby generating profit, will have a positive impact.
Importance for the Casio Group
The GBF shows that Casio needs to take actions which will have a more direct impact on restoring biodiversity. But indicators that will be effective enough to measure the degree of achievement are still being developed. However, waiting for these will cause the company to fall behind. So, Casio must first look at the current state of decline in biodiversity and what can be done to reverse it, and think about solutions in light of its own strengths.
Casio possesses hardware and software technologies refined as it created compact electronic devices over the years, as well as unique ideas that are difficult to imitate and management decisions which support those ideas. This has allowed Casio to deliver products to the world that have surprised other companies. Casio recognizes that it is expected to create new businesses that attract the attention of investors around the world by channeling these characteristics toward the goal of restoring biodiversity.
Targets and Action Plan
Casio formulated the Biodiversity Guidelines in March 2011 and the Paper Procurement Policy in 2015. At the time, these were formulated in the context of the Aichi Targets. But years have passed since then, and Casio needs to review them in light of the requirements TNFD or the GBF adopted last year at CBD/COP15. Casio is also in the process of reconstructing its future management vision, so it will revise the guidelines and policy in line with the vision based on international trends.
Casio Group Biodiversity Guidelines
Basic Policy
The Casio Group recognizes that its existence and business activities depend on the benefits afforded by biodiversity, and that these activities also have an impact on biodiversity. Casio emphasizes biodiversity preservation activities as well as efforts to fight climate change. By including biodiversity preservation in environmental management and creating a system for implementation, the Casio Group is working to build a more sustainable world.
Specific Initiatives
1. Business Activities:
Casio will help to build a more sustainable world by creating and providing products and services that encourage consumers to care more about the environment. This will be done by learning from nature and developing technologies that utilize this wisdom.
- Facilitating a paperless society
- Contributing to resource saving by developing original technology
- Developing products with care for nature
2.Impact Assessment:
Casio will survey and analyze its impact on biodiversity through activities including R&D, design, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, sales, product use, disposal, and recycling, and at its office and plant locations. It will establish improvement measures and implement them starting with areas of highest environmental impact and benefit.
- Actively taking initiatives for proper procurement of parts (leather, wood, paper, etc.) and materials (mineral resources, etc.) that depend on ecosystem services.
- Conducting questionnaire surveys across the supply chain in order to check ecosystem protection efforts for parts and materials that make up products.
- Establishing impact assessment methods (checklists and indices) for the Casio Group
3. Information Disclosure:
Casio will strive to improve social awareness of biodiversity, by actively disclosing the results of its environmental activities.
4. Community Involvement:
Casio will actively support activities that contribute to biodiversity preservation by NPOs and NGOs, government agencies, and local citizens.
5. Full Employee Participation:
Casio is aiming for activities that involve the participation of all employees, by increasing understanding of biodiversity preservation, and training employees to act on their own initiative.
Casio Group Paper Procurement Policy
Purpose: To preserve biodiversity by protecting and sustainably using the forest resources which provide the raw material for paper.
Scope: All paper products procured by the Casio Group worldwide
Policy: Casio will procure paper for use in its business activities according to the following standards:
- Paper must be made from trees harvested in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the logging area concerned.
- Products must not come from companies that are destroying any forest with high conservation value or that are a source of serious environmental or social issues.
- Priority must be given to reliable certified paper or recycled paper.
Target and Performance
Evaluation ◎: All targets met ○ : Most targets met △ : Remaining issues outweigh results × : No progress made
| Theme | Medium and long-term targets | FY2023 Targets | FY2023 Performance | Evaluation | FY2024 Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living in harmony with nature | Increase the use ofsustainable paperto 100% by FY2031 | Examine re-setting of medium and long-term targets | Collected and analyzed world trends | △ | Examine re-setting of medium and long-term targets |
Structure
In 2015, Casio identified three environmentally material issues. To address one of these, “Living in harmony with nature,” the third environmentally material issue, Casio established the “M3 committee,” which is an objective of the ISO 14001 environmental management system, in 2017. The M3 committee is driving Casio’s adoption of paper from certified forests for product catalogues used in Japan. It conducted a biodiversity survey of Casio’s main business sites in Japan, leading to the discovery of rare plants already growing on the company’s property, species found on the Red Lists published by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. The committee is considering the medium- and long-term targets, but as a short-term action plan managed under ISO14001, it is working to make efforts to promote biodiversity mainstream within the group by promoting measures emphasizing employee volunteerism, such as protections teams for rare plants, caring for the Casio Forest, and river cleanup activities.
With growing public expectations for Casio to show leadership on social issues through its business activities, Casio will strive to further link its efforts for mainstreaming biodiversity to the core operations of its business divisions, carry out an education campaign (WILD MIND GO! GO!) to encourage biodiversity mainstreaming outside of the company, and further expand and strengthen initiatives that promote grassroots volunteerism among employees.