Abstract
Today, all companies, irrespective of their industrial classification, have begun to accept approaches to environmental issues as a requirement of conducting business activities. Under such a condition, the CSR (corporate social responsibility) concept is gaining more attention. The CSR concept varies according to the individual country or region, and the period. This study targets the CSR in Japan. This paper intends to analyze and discuss corporate forest-related activities, emission trading and the relationship between A/R CDM (afforestation/reforestation clean development mechanism) and CSR based on the results obtained from the questionnaire. A/R CDM is the political measure based on the Kyoto Protocol to remove greenhouse gases by afforestation and reforestation projects in develo** countries. The survey results are as follows: (1) about 60 % of companies responded as “CSR being a business opportunity” and “non-implementation of CSR being a business risk,” (2) 60–70 % of companies are involved in forest-related activities in some way, irrespective of industry, (3) a certain proportion of companies have purchased emission credits and have a high level of interest in carbon offsets, and (4) concerning A/R CDM, companies have a high recognition, but over 70 % of them are at the “information collecting stage” with regard to participation. In conclusion, CSR is insufficient as a driving force for A/R CDM promotion, but can suffice for promoting carbon offset-oriented forest-related activities.
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Notes
The survey was conducted by Nikkei Business Publications ECO Management Forum. The subjects of this online survey were general consumers (responses: 20,233), while 560 target companies were selected primarily from top sales enterprises in different industries. The major index was “Environmental brand indices” which consists of the degree of exposure to environment-related information, as well as the environmental communication index, environmental image index, and environmental evaluation index.
Annual survey of Nikkei, conducted from 1997, targeting companies for questionnaire responses. Respondent companies include companies listed on JASDAQ and other publicly held companies, and non-listed major companies. The main index is “Environmental management score,” which evaluates management system, long-term goals, anti-pollution measures, resources recycling, product measures, global warming efforts, and office.
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Acknowledgment
This research was supported by a grant from JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows). I also thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their useful comments.
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Fukushima, T. The significance of CSR in A/R CDM promotion from the case study of Japan: a focus on corporate forest-related activities and emission trading. J For Res 18, 293–304 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-012-0351-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-012-0351-4