To expand "green investment" in global warming countermeasure companies International Conference October 7, 5:28
An international conference was held on the 9th, in which managers from around the world participated, to select companies that will focus on measures against global warming as investment destinations and to expand the movement of "green investment". And so on.
This international conference, which will be the second time following last year, will be held online as a countermeasure against the new coronavirus, and will be attended by executives and managers of domestic and overseas companies such as Shiseido, Mitsubishi Corporation, and JFE Steel.
Former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, a UN special envoy in the field of climate change, will also attend to discuss a framework that encourages companies to disclose information on climate change.
Specifically, we will discuss how to disclose not only the risk of factories becoming inoperable due to floods and droughts, but also efforts to enhance competitiveness, such as the development of energy-saving technologies.
Such an information disclosure framework is called "TCFD", and according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, as of September, 1442 companies and organizations in the world are responding, of which 306 is the largest in Japan. That is.
It is expected that the movement of green investment will become more active if the number of companies that respond to it increases, but it is not easy for companies to analyze the medium- to long-term impact of climate change, and at this conference, cases at the practical level and cases We will also discuss issues.
Beverage giants have a financial impact due to rising temperatures
Kirin Holdings, a major beverage company, is one of the companies that is actively disclosing the impact of climate variability on its business.
Three years ago, a flood in Sri Lanka, one of the world's leading black tea producing regions, caused damage to some of the farms where black tea was procured, and the heavy rains in western Japan caused a temporary suspension of the domestic distribution network. The sense of crisis is increasing due to the effects of successive disasters.
The company has estimated the financial implications of a two or four degree rise in global average temperatures compared to the second half of the 19th century.
As a result, if the temperature rises by 4 degrees Celsius, the yields of tea and wine grapes, barley and hops used in beer may decrease, and the cost of procuring raw materials may increase by as much as 30%. It turns out that.
Ryosuke Mizouchi, Managing Executive Officer of Kirin Holdings Company, said, "The impact can be even greater due to heavy rains and droughts. It is a very important issue and we are working on disaster countermeasures for farms."
On the other hand, I think there is a possibility that the technological capabilities of the company will be an opportunity.
The group's research institute is researching technology for culturing plant embryos and buds to grow tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of times, and we expect that it will lead to increased production of new varieties that are resistant to heat and dryness. ..
The company widely discloses information on these risks and strengths, and Managing Executive Officer Mizouchi said, "Investors in Europe and the United States are always required to explain how to respond to climate change. Information disclosure is a management reform. I would like to see this as a good opportunity to make not only the company but the society as a whole healthier. "
Institutional Investor "Japanese Companies Disclosure Information"
Institutional investors who manage large amounts of money are also paying attention to corporate information disclosure regarding climate change.
Manulife Investment Management, a Canadian financial group asset management company, is investing in Japan with an emphasis on responding to climate change.
However, when Japanese companies interact with investors, there are places where information disclosure is not sufficient, and we are strengthening our efforts to reach out to companies.
For example, they are asking utilities to set goals for greenhouse gas reductions not just for the industry as a whole, but for individual companies as well.
Shunsuke Oshida, General Manager of Credit Research Department, an asset management company, said, "I think Japanese companies have excellent environmental technology, but they have not been well communicated to investors. By enhancing disclosure, we will attract more funds and grow. I would like to have a dialogue that can be connected and support it as an investor. "