Prince Holdings Co., Ltd. (President: Hiroyuki Isono, Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo) would like to announce that President Isono participated in the panel discussion of the 'Global Commons Forum' (hereinafter referred to as GC Forum) jointly organized by the University of Tokyo Global Commons Center and others.
The forum held on October 8th received a keynote speech on the Earth's physical examination by Professor Johan Rockström (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research), the advocate of Planetary Boundaries, and brought together leaders from domestic and international industry, government, academia to discuss strategies to avoid this crisis and move towards a better future.
On that day, President Isono participated in the panel discussion on 'Nature-Positive Economy and Finance' and engaged in discussions with panelists from different perspectives on the following points.
- The current economic system has pushed the environmental carrying capacity of natural systems to the limit (i.e., it has exceeded Planetary Boundaries). We have regarded nature as a free good and exhausted it.
- Although some nature-related initiatives have finally started, they often view nature from a risk perspective.
- Therefore, is there a way to evaluate nature, including forests, soil, water, and living organisms, as investable assets, and encourage funding inflow into actions to protect nature?
President Isono presented the following opinions, emphasizing the sustainability of our business activities and the importance of assessing the value of nature.
- In 1873, the paper company that is the origin of our company was established, and at that time, the raw material was discarded cotton rags from urban areas. Our founding principle is to recycle valuable resources and deliver products to society, which is our origin.
Since 1889, in order to respond to the expanding demand for paper, the production of paper from wood resources began, and reforestation activities also started at the same time.
Starting in the 1930s, the management team at that time emphasized the duty to plant trees for those who use wood, strengthening reforestation efforts. Since then, we have continued to plant trees.
Healthy forests not only contribute to timber production but also nurture clean water and air, provide habitats for various wildlife, prevent sediment disasters, and serve as recreational areas for people. Our company currently owns 0.64 million hectares of forests, which include both production forests and environmental conservation forests, creating multifaceted value and contributing to nature positivity.
An analysis of the economic value of forests in Japan revealed an annual result of 3.5 billion US dollars (550 billion yen/0.188 million hectares per year). Although these values are currently not recognized, further evaluation of economic value from an accounting perspective should be promoted. The discussion on 'Nature to the Balance Sheet' this time is very important.
Similarly, companies that own forests worldwide share the same mindset. Last year, we jointly established the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC), an international forest-related organization, to work towards creating global standards. It may take time, but once realized, there will come a day when the value of nature is included in the price of products.
In this way, by deepening discussions with experts on the global challenges surrounding nature, we have created an opportunity to generate new value on a global scale more than ever before for our company.
In the future, we will continue to strengthen global collaboration towards solving global-scale challenges on Earth.
※1 Planetary boundary: A concept that defines the safe operating space where humanity can survive and its limit points. There is a possibility that the burden humanity imposes on Earth has reached a saturation point, especially exceeding the threshold values such as climate change and loss of biodiversity, known as the 'planetary boundary,' and entering a danger zone. The future of humanity depends on growth within a safe functional space on Earth (below the threshold values).
※2 Nature-positive: In the midst of climate change and biodiversity loss issues, it refers to the direction where a company's business activities and capital flows move towards enriching nature rather than exploiting it.
Prince Management Office Co., Ltd.
Group Business Development Headquarters
Prince's Forest Activation Promotion Department TEL: 03-3563-4430
The forum held on October 8th received a keynote speech on the Earth's physical examination by Professor Johan Rockström (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research), the advocate of Planetary Boundaries, and brought together leaders from domestic and international industry, government, academia to discuss strategies to avoid this crisis and move towards a better future.
On that day, President Isono participated in the panel discussion on 'Nature-Positive Economy and Finance' and engaged in discussions with panelists from different perspectives on the following points.
- The current economic system has pushed the environmental carrying capacity of natural systems to the limit (i.e., it has exceeded Planetary Boundaries). We have regarded nature as a free good and exhausted it.
- Although some nature-related initiatives have finally started, they often view nature from a risk perspective.
- Therefore, is there a way to evaluate nature, including forests, soil, water, and living organisms, as investable assets, and encourage funding inflow into actions to protect nature?
President Isono presented the following opinions, emphasizing the sustainability of our business activities and the importance of assessing the value of nature.
- In 1873, the paper company that is the origin of our company was established, and at that time, the raw material was discarded cotton rags from urban areas. Our founding principle is to recycle valuable resources and deliver products to society, which is our origin.
Since 1889, in order to respond to the expanding demand for paper, the production of paper from wood resources began, and reforestation activities also started at the same time.
Starting in the 1930s, the management team at that time emphasized the duty to plant trees for those who use wood, strengthening reforestation efforts. Since then, we have continued to plant trees.
Healthy forests not only contribute to timber production but also nurture clean water and air, provide habitats for various wildlife, prevent sediment disasters, and serve as recreational areas for people. Our company currently owns 0.64 million hectares of forests, which include both production forests and environmental conservation forests, creating multifaceted value and contributing to nature positivity.
An analysis of the economic value of forests in Japan revealed an annual result of 3.5 billion US dollars (550 billion yen/0.188 million hectares per year). Although these values are currently not recognized, further evaluation of economic value from an accounting perspective should be promoted. The discussion on 'Nature to the Balance Sheet' this time is very important.
Similarly, companies that own forests worldwide share the same mindset. Last year, we jointly established the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC), an international forest-related organization, to work towards creating global standards. It may take time, but once realized, there will come a day when the value of nature is included in the price of products.
In this way, by deepening discussions with experts on the global challenges surrounding nature, we have created an opportunity to generate new value on a global scale more than ever before for our company.
In the future, we will continue to strengthen global collaboration towards solving global-scale challenges on Earth.
※1 Planetary boundary: A concept that defines the safe operating space where humanity can survive and its limit points. There is a possibility that the burden humanity imposes on Earth has reached a saturation point, especially exceeding the threshold values such as climate change and loss of biodiversity, known as the 'planetary boundary,' and entering a danger zone. The future of humanity depends on growth within a safe functional space on Earth (below the threshold values).
※2 Nature-positive: In the midst of climate change and biodiversity loss issues, it refers to the direction where a company's business activities and capital flows move towards enriching nature rather than exploiting it.
Prince Management Office Co., Ltd.
Group Business Development Headquarters
Prince's Forest Activation Promotion Department TEL: 03-3563-4430
