The General Incorporated Association, Renewable Energy 100 Declaration RE Action Council, has released a request for the formulation of the 7th Basic Energy Plan, the next Global Warming Prevention Plan, and Japan’s next Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets (NDC), which are currently under discussion.

We request that the ratio of renewable energy in Japan’s power supply mix be raised to the international level in order to achieve the 1.5 degree Celsius target.

Decarbonized management is both a major challenge and an opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99.7% of the total number of enterprises in Japan, to maintain and improve their competitiveness in domestic and international supply chains. The shift to renewable energy for electricity consumption is one effective approach to decarbonized management, and in order to enable many companies to introduce renewable electricity in an economically rational and stable manner, it is first necessary to raise the ratio of renewable energy in Japan as a whole to the international level.

At the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it was reaffirmed that global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 60% from 2019 levels by 2035, and it was agreed to triple the generation capacity of renewable energy by 2030. In Japan’s reduction target, we request that the figures targeted by the international community be used as a guideline.

We request that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) be given opportunities to participate in energy policy discussions as consumers of electricity.

Small and medium-sized enterprises that are proactive in decarbonizing their business operations are introducing renewable energy in ways that are desirable for their local communities, such as by preferentially selecting renewable electricity from the menu, which leads to local production for local consumption, and by concluding agreements with community associations to use their own solar power generation facilities for local disaster management. However, there is a limit to what companies can do to increase the ratio of renewable energy in their electricity consumption through self-help efforts, so it is necessary to expand highly effective support systems for the introduction of renewable energy.

When considering the Basic Energy Plan, the next Global Warming Prevention Plan, and Japan’s next greenhouse gas reduction target (NDC), we request that medium- and small-sized companies that are taking the initiative in introducing renewable energy be given the opportunity to participate in discussions as electricity consumers, and that their specific issues and needs be reflected in the policies.

What is the Renewable Energy 100 Declaration RE Action?

A framework to promote 100% renewable energy in society as a whole by mobilizing the market and policies through awareness and actions by companies, local governments, educational institutions, medical institutions, and other electricity consumers to convert 100% of their electricity use to renewable energy. The General Incorporated Association “100 Renewable Energy Declaration RE Action Council” is in charge of the operation.

As of October 31, 2024, there were 386 participating organizations (approximately 247,000 employees, total power consumption of 2,001 GWh) and 19 ambassadors (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Defense, Osaka Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Tokushima Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, Osaka City, Okayama City, Kawasaki City, Kyoto City, (Saitama, Niigata, Hamamatsu, Yokohama). Ambassadors will be limited to central ministries and agencies, prefectural governments, and government-designated cities.