Other Topics Relating to Food Resources and the Environment

Reducing environmental impact from offices: The Cool Biz initiative

Launched in 2005, Cool Biz is a national campaign promoted by the Ministry of the Environment to help fight global warming during the summertime (June through September in Japan) through centering on actions that can be taken by citizens in their immediate surroundings. Its Team Minus 6% secretariat recommendations include wearing light casual clothing in offices and raising the temperature settings of air conditioning units, with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions in Japan. Reduced CO₂ emissions achieved by companies participating in the Cool Biz campaign during fiscal 2006 is estimated at about 1.14 million tons, equivalent to CO₂ emissions from 2.5 million households over one month.
The Ajinomoto Group promotes Cool Biz practices every year in order to fight global warming. In fiscal 2007, Norio Yamaguchi, president of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., appeared in the group's Cool Biz promotional poster, calling on all employees to participate.
In 2007, president Yamaguchi participated in the Cool Biz Executives campaign, organized by the Team Minus 6% secretariat. The campaign aims to completely establish Cool Biz practices nationwide by having top executives of companies and organizations that are helping fight global warming appear in newspaper and public-transit advertising wearing their personal Cool Biz attire. Ajinomoto advertised in commercial and public-transit locations and media during the following dates.

• Public advertising at commercial centers:
  June 1 — 8: Third floor gallery of the Marunouchi Building
• Public-transit advertising at subway premises:
  June 4 — 17: Otemachi Station on the Tokyo Metro lines
  June 4 — 10: Shinjuku Station on the Tokyo Metro lines
• June 12: Two-page color spread newspaper advertisement in the national morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun