The Benesse Group aims to contribute to achieving all SDGs by focusing on the 4th SDG: education. Our environmental efforts include providing environmental education services tailored to children's developmental stages, fostering their understanding of climate change and biodiversity, and promoting actions to address these issues. The Benesse Group has also established goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions for 2030, 2041, and 2050 to work toward decarbonization, and we are advancing plans to achieve these targets.
In 2019, the Benesse Group became the first education provider in Japan to endorse the TCFD's recommendations. We are conducting scenario analyses for our domestic education business in line with the TCFD recommendations and are deepening our analysis of the impact of climate change risks and opportunities on our business. Currently, we are also disclosing information based on the TCFD recommendations for the nursing and childcare domain and our cram school/classroom business.
In addition, as part of our commitment to biodiversity, which is closely related to climate change, we endorsed the TNFD in 2023, participated in the TNFD Forum, and registered as a TNFD Early Adopter. We will actively advocate for the realization of a decarbonized society and the restoration of biodiversity, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. As a company that is actively responding to climate change, we do not provide funding to lobby groups that deny climate change or oppose climate-related regulations.
Benesse is involved in the following activities to leave behind a beautiful global environment for the children of the future.
Based on our Group Environmental Policy, the Benesse Group promotes an understanding of and measures against climate change through environmental education and transition plans for decarbonization in companies.
Benesse advances initiatives for climate change, sustainability, and ESG through the following framework.
In the past, the Benesse Group has presented information related to climate change through our integrated reports and customer data platform. After becoming the first educational company in Japan to endorse the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in 2019, the Group deepened its analysis of the effects of climate change risks and opportunities on its business. The analysis focuses on two key points: the probability of occurrence and the level of influence of these risks and opportunities.
After conducting multiple scenario analyses, we have rated the transition risks, physical risks, and opportunities in terms of severity (major, medium, and minor) as follows.
As a result of the above considerations, the following strategies and initiatives have been developed and implemented.
For more information on strategies and initiatives in the domestic education domain, please also refer to the following.
After conducting multiple scenario analyses, we have rated the risks and opportunities in terms of severity (major, medium, and minor) as follows.
As a result of the above considerations, the following strategies and initiatives have been developed and implemented.
For more information on strategies and initiatives in the nursing care and childcare domain, please also refer to the following.
Benesse Holdings has established a Risk and Compliance Committee to promote risk management and compliance throughout the Benesse Group. The Committee is chaired by the Chief Legal and Risk Officer (CLRO), who oversees risk management and compliance, and includes the CEO, CXO, the presidents of major subsidiaries Benesse Corporation and Benesse Style Care, and the business managers of these companies. The Committee aggregates the results of various risk assessments at each Group company, including human resource risks, information security, BCP, and other sustainability-related risks, and formulates countermeasures and manages the promotion of Group-wide risks. In addition, the Sustainability Promotion Committee conducts detailed risk assessments of human rights and environmental risks at each Group company, formulates countermeasures and promotes management based on these assessments, and reports and makes proposals based on the results to the Board of Directors.
Benesse Corporation, one of our major subsidiaries, has been ISO 14001-certified since 2004 and manages risks through this process. Specifically, each division formulates annual plans in line with the customers and business stage of each division, and promotes environmental load reduction, including GHG emissions reduction, and environmental education. We also conduct web-based environmental training for all employees to raise awareness. As part of these activities, we also conduct an annual management review with the president.
Scope 1 (emissions from Benesse's own use of gas and other fuels) and Scope 2 (emissions from the use of electricity, heat, and steam at its own facilities) targets have been further increased from the previous targets. The "Well-Below 2°C level target,” which was certified by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in May 2021, has been updated and re-certified to a "1.5°C" target. For Scope 3 (emissions from Benesse's value chain), we have also set reduction targets for 2030 and 2050, using 2018 as the baseline year, in line with the “2°C target.”
< Benesse Corporation >
● Target Reductions for Scope 1 and 2, Scope 3
Fiscal year ending March 31 of each year
| Every fiscal year* | 2030* | 2041 | 2050* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduction rate for Scope 1 and 2 using 2018 as the baseline year | 4.4% | 52.8% | 100% | 100% |
* Reduction target has been certified by SBTi
[Date of revision September 29, 2022]
Fiscal year ending March 31 of each year
| Every fiscal year | 2030 | 2050 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduction rate of Scope 3 using 2018 as the baseline year | 1.23% | 14.8% | 39.4% |
2°C target certified by SBTi
< Benesse Group >
● Target Reduction for Scope 1 and 2
Fiscal year ending March 31 of each year
| 2030 | 2041 | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduction rate for Scope 1 and 2 using 2022 as the baseline year | 42.4% | 100% |
To improve the reliability of our CO2 emissions results, Benesse Corporation is undergoing third-party assurance by SOCOTEC Certification Japan Inc. The assurance covers Scope 1 and Scope 2, as well as Scope 3, including Category 1 (purchased products and services), 2 (capital goods), 3 (fuel and energy activities; not included in Scopes 1 and 2), 4 and 9 (transportation and distribution, upstream and downstream), 5 (waste generated from operations), 6 (business trips), 7 (employee commutes), 11 (use of sold products), and 12 (disposal of sold products). Since 2022, in addition to GHG emissions, energy consumption, water consumption, and waste emissions are also included in the assurance.
Benesse Group has also undergone third-party verification of Scope 1 and Scope 2 by SOCOTEC Certification Japan Inc.
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● Participation in the United Nations' Global Compact
Benesse officially declared its support for the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), which is based on ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption, and in addition to signing the Compact in March 2010, Benesse also participates in the Global Compact Network Japan (GCNJ), a local network in Japan.
● Support for the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
In July 2019, Benesse expressed its agreement with the recommendations of The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which was established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB). It was the first education business operator in Japan to do so.
● Received certification from the SBT initiative for targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
The Benesse Corporation's greenhouse gas emission targets for 2030 and 2050 were certified by the SBT initiative based on scientific evidence to “keep the global average temperature increase well below 2°C and maintain it below 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels ” under the Paris Agreement. We also received SBT certification from the Initiative in May 2021.
Additionally, the Scope 1 and 2 efforts have been increased to achieve the "1.5°C target" and re-certified as SBTi. For Scope 3, we have set a 2°C target.
Using 2018 as the baseline year, we have set the following reduction targets.
● Endorsement of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's GX (Green Transformation) Basic Concept and participation in the GX League
Benesse Corporation endorses the GX Basic Concept, which is the result of discussions held by the "Study Group on Economic Methods to Achieve Carbon Neutrality Worldwide" (Chairman: Hiroshi Ohashi, Dean, Graduate School of Public Policy, The University of Tokyo), and participates in the GX League.
● Endorsement of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "White Logistics" promotion campaign
Benesse Corporation endorses the aims of the "White Logistics" promotion movement advocated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as a voluntary activity to realize sustainable logistics, and has submitted a voluntary action declaration to the "White Logistics" promotion movement secretariat. For more details, please see the following.
● Endorsement of "Deco-Katsu," a National Movement for New and Prosperous Lifestyles toward Decarbonization
Benesse Holdings and Benesse Corporation support the "Deco-Katsu" program promoted by the Ministry of the Environment to strongly encourage behavioral and lifestyle changes among the public and consumers to achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality and 2030 reduction targets. In addition to our own energy and resource conservation efforts, we are also promoting environmental education for our employees and staff, as well as environmental education and environmental information tailored to the developmental stages of children.
● Recognized as an “Eco-First Company” by the Ministry of the Environment
On April 10, 2024, Benesse Corporation was newly certified as an “Eco-First Company” under the Ministry of the Environment's “Eco-First Company System.”
Under the Eco-First System, a company commits to the Minister of the Environment to undertake its own environmental conservation initiatives, such as measures to combat global warming, reduce waste, and promote recycling. In return, the Minister certifies the company as an "advanced, unique, and industry-leading business activity" in the field of the environment, recognizing it as an environmentally advanced company within the industry.
● Participation in the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI)
Benesse Holdings supports JCI's declaration, "Joining the front line of the global push for decarbonization from Japan" and agrees with the JCI's Statement to Call for an Ambitious 2030 Target for Japan to Realize the Paris Agreement Goal which was announced on April 19, 2021. To ensure a beautiful global environment is preserved for the children of the future, we support the Paris Agreement and the Japanese government's decarbonization policies. We also comply with Japan's climate change laws, including the law related to the streamlining of energy usage (the Act on Rationalizing Energy Use) and the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures. Following the climate change laws, the Group conducts environmental activities including the submission of annual reports to the government disclosing our energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and our progress in the achievement of energy conservation goals. Furthermore, we have raised the Scope 1 and 2 targets for Benesse Corporation, our main subsidiary, to achieve the “1.5°C target" (as of the end of December 2021) and are continuing reduction activities to achieve this goal. Simultaneously, we have set our target for the ratio of renewable energy to total installed capacity at 100% for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2041. To decarbonize, we actively participate in the organization's seminars and study groups, share the information we have obtained through our own efforts, and consider the use of the advanced techniques and technologies of member companies, local governments, organizations, and NGOs. The results of Benesse Holdings' activities can be found on the JCI's website【Japanese】
.
Together with all JCI stakeholders, we will actively advocate for policies to achieve a decarbonized society.
Benesse Holdings supports laws, regulations, and policies related to climate change and energy use reduction (such as the Law Concerning the Promotion of Measures to Cope with Global Warming [the Global Warming Prevention Law] and the Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy [the Energy Conservation Law] in Japan) at each of its business locations and takes appropriate measures to address these issues.
Benesse Corporation, a major subsidiary of Benesse Holdings, has expressed its support for the Japanese government's "GX League Basic Concept," a challenge by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry to quickly transition to a carbon neutral society, and is participating in the GX League activities. Benesse Corporation is participating in one of these activities in particular, the formulation of a vision for a carbon-neutral future society in 2050.
The Benesse Corporation has provided paper-based educational materials since the start of our Shinkenzemi, but in 1999, we launched the "Shinkenzemi Challenge Net Course for 2nd- Year Junior High School Students" online. Since then, we have provided digital educational materials to support the needs of each of our customers. The "Challenge Touch" service, which we currently offer, utilizes the characteristics of digital technology to analyze children's learning data, such as daily progress, target academic ability, learning amount, and textbook type, to propose individualized curricula and contribute to improving learning effectiveness. In recent years, the ratio of students who choose digital educational materials has risen, leading to a reduction in the use of paper resources. As of April 2024, roughly 70% of the participants in the elementary course and junior high course are taking the digital course. We are also contributing toward a reduction in term time and CO2 emissions during transportation due to the digitization of submissions and return of the previously mail-based “Akapen Sensei no Mondai.” We are also engaged in activities to promote the reuse of tablets provided through "Challenge Touch". We will continue to contribute to environmental load reduction through our business while increasing learning effectiveness for children.
Benesse Corporation has introduced plant-derived raw materials in the film envelopes used for direct mail in order to reduce the use of fossil-based materials. We have established our own standards, and the envelopes are marked with a mark on the right.
Benesse Corporation has introduced inks containing biologically derived resources (biomass) used for the shipping envelopes of its products. When using these inks, the biomass mark is displayed in accordance with the regulations of the Japan Organics Recycling Association.
We support the "Deco-Katsu" program promoted by the Ministry of the Environment, and are practicing Cool Biz and Warm Biz, making detailed adjustments for air conditioning and water usage, and promoting the switch to LED for lightning. In addition to conducting inspections to ensure compliance with the rules, we also collect environmental poems from employees and their families for use in internal communications.
Carbon offset certificates for the past financial years
See the following website for details of each of these initiatives.
Before the opening of the 32nd Olympics Games (Tokyo, 2020) and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Benesse donated credits to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to offset greenhouse gas emissions from hosting the opening and closing ceremonies. These credits were offered through achieving a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that exceeded targets through office activities.
Benesse donated 719 t of CO2 credits. See the following website for details.
https://www.kankyo.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/index.html
The Benesse Corporation produces a large number of products every year and delivers them to customers. For this reason, Benesse conducts consistent initiatives from the perspective of procurement and logistics to ensure that eco-friendly activities are carried out in all processes.
For example, when creating a brochure for educational materials, we take another look at product specifications with less waste and promote activities in cooperation with main departments in procurement and logistics and with on-site supervisors. This includes advancing the active procurement of environmentally friendly printing paper and reducing disposal by improving accuracy in determining the number of printed sets.
We consider the effects on the environment in cooperation with outside suppliers for each process, including re-evaluating assessments of environmental initiatives in production factories and effective shipping methods.
Please visit the following website for details about initiatives carried out by the Benesse Logistics Center, where packing is handled.
We are working on a modal shift towards actively using freight railway transport with its low CO2 emissions for long distance transport (500 km or more) for products and services such as Kodomo Challenge and Shinkenzemi. Benesse was selected as a certified Eco Rail Mark company in March 2020 for using freight railway transport for about 60%+ of its long-distance transport.
A variety of things are required to switch from truck transport to railway container transport. At the Okayama Logistics Center, we can now make shipments via railway containers after adjusting schedules by pulling containers up to the loading docks, loading them, and then sending them off as is. Furthermore, to reduce energy use in transport, we design our product delivery packages to be as lean as possible and provide monthly piece and capacity forecasts to transport companies to promote the use of lean containers and trucks.
● Benesse House's sustainability initiatives
Benesse Holdings and the Fukutake Foundation promote sound community development through contemporary art and cultural initiatives. Known collectively as “Benesse Art Site Naoshima,” these art initiatives have been taking place on islands in the Seto Inland Sea for about 30 years. Every year, many visitors come to Benesse Art Site Naoshima, which is distinguished by its activities that use history and culture, introduce new contemporary art, and revitalize relationships with the local residents. Through the art installations, the landscapes of the Seto Inland Sea, and interactions with the community, it has become a place for reflecting on “Benesse = Well-Being.”
Benesse House, a facility at Benesse Art Site Naoshima based on the concept of a “symbiosis between nature, architecture, and art,” aims to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society, and promotes sustainability in various areas, such as environmental considerations, health, and safety.
Detailed information on Benesse House's initiatives can be found below.
The Benesse Group offers environmental educational services that match children's developmental stages through various educational materials, services, and events, and promotes action towards understanding and taking measures against climate change. Online environmental training is also implemented for employees annually.
See the following website for details of each of these initiatives.
Last updated : 2024/09/18