[INFO]
The next "CNUD MEET UP #2" will be held on Thursday, March 21st!
Anyone can participate for free (advance registration required)
Future Design Shibuya member companies can check the details and apply for participation here
If you are not a member, please contact us to apply.
The general incorporated association SWiTCH and Future Design Shibuya, a platform that aims to realize a sustainable society by young people, have set the goal of ``Together with young people, make Shibuya the world's most sustainable city by 2030,'' and have achieved We have been involved in various activities such as "Shibuya COP Academy".
The sustainable circle that started in Shibuya was small at first. However, the voice of Mana Saza, representative director of SWiTCH, who continued to send a powerful message that young people are the main players through lectures on the future of the earth, such as global climate change and biodiversity, and by creating opportunities for opinion exchange. , has resonated with many young people, business people, companies, and governments, and its circle has gradually expanded.
And in November 2023, at "SIW (Social Innovation Week) 2023", Future Design Shibuya and the general incorporated association SWiTCH will create a consortium "CNUD (Carbon Neutral Urban Design)" as a place for industry, government and academia to discuss decarbonization. announced the launch of ``Design''.
CNUD's activities to share the latest information and technology such as decarbonization movements and precision in countries around the world and disseminate information for the realization of sustainable urban culture from Shibuya are finally in full swing. Here we will report on "CNUD MEET UP Vol.1" held on January 23, 2024.
The memorable “CNUD MEET UP Vol.1” was held in two parts.
At the beginning, Mr. Saza introduced SWiTCH's past activities (for details, please visit the SWiTCH official website). Once again, CNUD's purpose is to "disseminate sustainable urban culture from Shibuya to the world." He also described Shibuya as a ``consuming city,'' and emphasized that this is why it is so meaningful to work together with the younger generation to make it a sustainable city, and that it can be communicated to the world.
Next, Mr. Saza gave his impressions of participating in "COP28" held in Dubai from November 30th (Thursday) to December 12th (Tuesday), 2023, and reported the latest information.
Let's review the global framework regarding SDGs and decarbonization...
The Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21 held in December 2015. The Paris Agreement is a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the goal of limiting the global average temperature rise to 2°C (within an effort target of 1.5°C) since before the industrial revolution (September 2015). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in April.
"COP" is basically held every year ("COP26" was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic), and "Glasgow Climate Agreement" ("COP26" was postponed from 2020 to 2021). Ministry of the Environment “About the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26)”), and the broad rules of the Paris Agreement and the rules for bilateral CO2 emissions trading have been finalized. At the subsequent "COP27", the "Sharm El Sheikh Implementation Plan" (Ministry of the Environment “Decarbonization Portal”: Summary of the results of COP27 (27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)) was agreed upon.
At COP28, various discussions and agreements were reached during the approximately two-week session, including ``agreeing to shift away from petroleum fuels,'' ``establishing a loss and damage fund,'' and ``starting discussions on carbon markets.'' SWiTCH participated in COP28 as a Japanese government group. Five people, including Saza, were dispatched to Dubai. Mr. Saza, who has communicated with people from all over the world by hosting seminars at the Japan Pavilion, introduced the following three topics for COP28.
- carbon offset is old
- Nature positivity (biodiversity) is the main theme
- Reflecting the voices of young people is essential
Achieving 1.5℃ has already become commonplace, and discussions have begun on ``nature positive'' (initiatives that have a positive impact on ecosystems) that go beyond decarbonization. In addition, it is important to accelerate the goal of "30 by 30" (the goal of effectively conserving more than 30% of land and sea as healthy ecosystems by 2030), which was agreed upon by the G7 in 2021. It becomes a perspective. There was an explanation about the world trend.
Next, Mr. Saza also introduced the "SHIBUYA COP 2023" held on December 19, 2023. At a briefing session by companies participating in COP28, including the Global Environment Bureau of the Ministry of the Environment, Hitachi, NEC, Panasonic Holdings, Toshiba, and Daikin Industries, they said, ``Now is the time to take action,'' and ``We need to move from being led by companies to involving consumers. We have moved to a new phase,'' and ``The participation of the young generation, who will be our future leaders, is essential.'' He emphasized that the time has finally come to take action to decarbonize, starting with the young generation and involving the general public as well. I did.
In the second part, pitches were held by eight startup companies that are CNUD MEMBER, with Mr. Omura of Recotec Co., Ltd. as the facilitator. In the first part, it was reported that we have finally entered a phase in which action is required from governments, businesses, and consumers to realize a sustainable society.Amidst such changes in the global framework, Japan's There are also many innovations from start-up companies.
The perspectives and business schemes of the eight companies that took the stage were all innovative, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how these businesses solve social issues and change our lifestyles.
The following eight companies took the stage. Inter Holdings Co., Ltd., which aims to reduce food loss by utilizing the ``shin-ku'' technology that achieves a vacuum rate of 99.5%, is a company that operates one of Japan's largest ethical media outlets, ``Ethical Living'' and community-style store ``Ethical Living LAB.'' Company Gab. ECOMMIT Co., Ltd. collects and recycles 12,000 tons of unwanted clothing each year at PASSTO, a collection station set up at 3,000 locations nationwide. WELISM Co., Ltd. handles branding by spinning stories around sustainable activities undertaken by companies that are difficult to differentiate. Eye-opening original and realistic innovations were announced, such as Shibuya Blend Co., Ltd., which opened the first private carbon credit exchange, "JCX (Japan Carbon Credit Exchange)" in September 2023. (Please see the linked official website for details on services and innovation, as well as corporate philosophy).
[Startup companies that participated in the pitch]
・CONVEY Co., Ltd.
・komham Co., Ltd.
・Inter Holdings Co., Ltd.
・Gab Co., Ltd.
・ECOMMIT Co., Ltd.
・WELISM Co., Ltd.
・ Shibuya Blend Co., Ltd.
・CACTUS TOKYO
We will select and introduce three companies out of the eight.
■CONVEY Co., Ltd.
CONVEY Co., Ltd. aims to solve Japan's logistics issues, such as the 2024 problem, with the motto of "creating beautiful logistics." With the spread of e-commerce in recent years, not only are many people feeling stressed about cleaning up and disposing of packaging waste from parcels, but it is said that 7 million tons of CO2 is generated annually from the production and collection of cardboard boxes.
The company is creating a sustainable purchasing experience that is kind to people and the earth with its reusable "Share Bag®". On the linked e-commerce site, users can select "Share Bag®︎" as a packing method at the time of purchase, and so far 2-30% of buyers have selected "Share Bag®︎" and the bag return rate is 100. It seems that it is %.
■komham Co., Ltd.
Komham Co., Ltd., established in 2020, is a startup that sells and installs "Smart Compost®️", a biomass recycling system using microorganisms.
Composting, which turns food waste into compost, is becoming more and more popular in Europe, but Japan has little farmland, so even if it is composted, it often goes to waste, making it difficult to establish resource circulation.
``Smart Compost®️'' developed by the company can process the process in 1 to 3 days instead of several weeks with normal compost processing speed, and the amount of compost generated is extremely small, in line with Japan. . Since it is powered by solar batteries, it can also reduce CO2 emissions, and by combining it with IoT technology, it can be used to acquire various data.
■CACTUS TOKYO Co., Ltd.
"CACTUS TOKYO", a brand that fosters nature positivity (biodiversity), is an apparel brand that develops new "leather products" using high-quality cactus leather, which is no different from genuine leather.
Along with the sustainability movement, a review of natural leather products has begun, but the company's distinctive feature is not only its choice not to use natural leather, but also its design that creates a nature-positive cycle. By cultivating the raw material, cactus, in the desert, insects and microorganisms gather on the cactus. Next, small animals that eat them as food gather together, and larger creatures that prey on the small animals appear.
In the future, they are considering developing materials from invasive species that can be legally exterminated.
"CNUD MEET UP Vol. 1" allowed us to experience sustainability from a multifaceted perspective through Parts 1 and 2. Lastly, Future Design Shibuya Kubota looks back on his first contact with SWiTCH, a general incorporated association.
"When we asked him if we could work together on a sustainable project, Mr. Saza replied, ``If you want to make Shibuya the world's most sustainable city, then we'll do it.'' At the time, I thought it would be difficult to become ``the best in the world,'' but through a series of activities, I feel that the momentum to become the best in the world is gradually increasing.''
As the word suggests, the "Shibuya x Sustainable" action continues to expand. However, the launch of CNUD is still just the beginning. Please keep an eye on our future activities, and we look forward to hearing from you who will actually participate in CNUD and walk with us.
[INFO]
The next "CNUD MEET UP #2" will be held on Thursday, March 21st!
Anyone can participate for free (advance registration required)
Future Design Shibuya member companies can check the details and apply for participation here
If you are not a member, please contact us to apply.