Coexistence with Nature
Policy
The SG Holdings Group positions "coexistence of society and nature" as an important environmental initiative, and is engaged in a wide range of environmental communication activities primarily targeting children who will be responsible for the next generation in accordance with its Environmental Policy.
Initiatives
Environmental Awareness for the Next Generation
Takao 100-Year Forest Project
Sagawa Express is working to preserve forests that absorb CO2 emitted from business activities such as those from trucks. In collaboration with many parties including citizens, universities and other educational institutions, and experts, we are proceeding with the regeneration of “undeveloped woodlands (Satoyama) where people and nature coexist” along a long timeline based on a long-term vision symbolized by the term “100 years.” Furthermore, ongoing nature experience programs for children, who will be the next generation, are held for learning about “the connection between nature and people” through hands-on experiences in a mountain forest environment.
On-demand Classes on the Environment
Sagawa Express provides on-demand classes on the environment to elementary schools and kindergartens, and introduces environmental activities and forest preservation activities through the logistics of Sagawa Express using quizzes and delivery demonstrations. Furthermore, children become more familiar with nature through experiences such as making nameplates from thinned wood sourced from Sagawa Forests, which are owned by Sagawa Forestry in the Kochi and Tokushima prefectures.
National Eco Art Contest (Ended in FY 2023)
SG Holdings held a National Eco Message Art Contest for elementary school students throughout Japan and received many submissions. The program came to an end in fiscal 2023, which marked its 10th anniversary, but the work that won the Minister of the Environment Award last year, the Grand Prize, has been wrapped around a Sagawa Express truck and is currently driving around the entire country, mainly in urban areas.
Special site "National Eco Art Contest"
Environmental Awareness for Employees
Based on the idea that it is important for each and every employee at nationwide sales offices to have a high level of environmental awareness and to take the initiative in environmental activities, we are implementing the Sagawa Express Environmental Action program, which focuses on an environmental theme set each month, to raise awareness of employees.
Forest Preservation
Sagawa Forestry, which manages and owns approximately 800 hectares of “Sagawa Forests” in Kochi and Tokushima Prefectures, is engaged in forest conservation projects with the mission of “protecting the forest cycle” as its highest priority. We are using carbon credits generated from these forests to offset some of the CO2 emissions associated with the Group's business activities.
Forest preservation has been gaining attention in recent years as a means to address climate change by capturing CO2 while trees are growing. However, the continuation of forestry businesses is increasingly becoming an issue due to the aging of workers, and this has led to the problem of forests becoming devastated due to failure to perform the necessary maintenance.
Considering such social issues, Sagawa Forestry is working with local forest associations and other groups to continue to implement forestry conservation programs such as planting, brushing, pruning, and tree thinning, while acquiring new forests with the aim of realizing sustainable forestry management. The timber produced has been used in the next-generation large-scale logistics center X FRONTIER as well as the Atami Park recreational facility used by Group employees and their families. By promoting the use of rich forest resources in these ways, the company is contributing to the maintenance of the forest cycle.
In addition, we utilize the carbon credits (*J-Credit) created by forests to partially offset CO2 emissions due to Group business activities.
*Under the J-Credit scheme, the government certifies the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (such as CO2) reduced or removed by sinks through efforts to introduce energy-saving devices and manage forests, as “credit.”
Promoting Environmentally Friendly Business Activities