- 20 major companies sign ground-breaking call to action to policy makers on accelerating the switch to renewable electricity
- All state that enabling a switch to renewables is essential to improving their corporate competitiveness in the global economy
- All signatories are committed to 100% renewable power and are members of The Climate Group's global corporate leadership initiative RE100
20 major companies have today (June 17, 2019) called on the Japanese government to set an ambitious target of sourcing at least 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030 - more than double its current ambition (22-24%). 19 of these companies are from Japan and include the likes of Sony Corporation, AEON and Fujitsu (a full list of signatories is included below).
The unprecedented call to action was launched at a renewable energy summit in Tokyo, organised by the Japan Climate Leaders Partnership(JCLP) and attended by the Minister of the Environment Yoshiaki Harada and the Mayor of Yokohama Fumiko Hayashi, and over 500 professionals. The policy asks include:
- A more ambitious national renewable electricity target of 50% by 2030 to give consumers and developers long-term certainty on their energy strategy;
- An in-depth assessment of the wider benefits of switching to renewable energy (such as increasing energy security) in Japan - to be shared publicly;
- A favourable policy environment that brings the cost of renewables in line with other G20 governments;
- Power purchase agreements (PPAs) to be made easier to enable corporates to buy renewable electricity over the long-term at a guaranteed price - these are becoming an increasingly popular and successful strategy for companies around the world and directly add renewable capacity to the grid.
The full policy proposal is available here.
These companies are members of the global corporate leadership initiative RE100, led by international non-profit, The Climate Group in partnership with CDP. The initiative aims to bring together some of the world's most influential companies committed to sourcing 100% renewable electricity in their global operations. JCLP acts as a regional delivery partner for The Climate Group.
Speaking at the event in Tokyo, Constant Alarcon, RE100 Campaign Manager, The Climate Group, said:
"These companies realize that in order to remain competitive in a globalized economy, they must embrace a low carbon future. We are excited by the leadership demonstrated by these companies in today's call for an ambitious 2030 renewables targets and efficient market mechanisms to help companies reach their RE100 commitment. By working hand-in hand with the government, Japanese companies can drive greater demand for renewables and deliver the clean economy of tomorrow."
In the last two years 19 Japanese companies have signed up to RE100, making it the fastest growing country within the membership. However, renewables remain hard and expensive to source in Japan compared to other G20 nations, as the country remains strongly dependent on imported fossil fuels and is the last G7 country building new coal plants.
But the natural resources that exist domestically can help Japan to scale up the availability of renewables, strengthening national security, improving resilience and cleaning up the air.
At the event, Sekisui House, Ricoh, Apple, AEON and Fuyo General Lease - all signatories of today's proposal - spoke on the importance of Japan raising its ambition on renewables and explained why they joined the RE100 initiative.
