Japan's Businesses Advancing Nature-Positive Economy Insights and Strategies

01 May, 2024

Japan's Businesses Advancing Nature-Positive Economy Insights and Strategies

Amid global pressures to safeguard nature, Japanese businesses are embracing the challenge, buoyed by an international framework aimed at redirecting financial resources toward nature-positive endeavors.

In this segment of Green Japan, Damon Embling of Euronews ventures to the Château Mercian Mariko vineyard and winery, uncovering its strides towards cultivating a nature-positive enterprise.

Nestled near Ueda in central Japan, the vineyard has revitalized a once-desolate mulberry field, witnessing the resurgence of grasslands and plants, fostering natural habitats for various insects, including endangered species.

Damon delves into the vineyard's circular practices, spotlighting its conversion of grape press remnants into compost and vine prunings into "biochar" charcoal.

As part of Kirin Holdings Company, an early adopter of the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), the vineyard aligns with a global initiative urging businesses to evaluate, disclose, and address nature-related risks and impacts, thereby enhancing transparency and informing investment decisions.

A Kirin environmental expert underscores the significance of water and natural capital in the vineyard's operations, reflecting the company's TNFD commitment.

In Tokyo, Damon engages with a TNFD taskforce representative, advocating for multinational corporations to assist others in exploring nature-positive pathways. Concurrently, a Tokyo-based professor stresses the imperative of fostering business ventures that prioritize nature conservation, fundamental to reshaping the global economic landscape.