Japan Federation of Economic Organizations announced the "KEIDANREN Earth Environment Charter" in 1991, one year before the Rio de Janeiro Summit 1992.
And, in September 1992, when the heat of Rio de Janeiro does not give the favor of awaking, KEIDANREN established the Nature Conservation Fund (KNCF) as one of its special committees in order to support nature conservation activities in conformity with the spirit of the charter.
In April 2000, with the transfer of a part of the fund to public benefit trust, the KNCF committee was renewed to the denomination of Nature Conservation Conference.
In July 2002, the Nature Conservation Conference inaugurated the Planning Section in order to consider the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Conference/Fund establishment. This Section prepared a document to become the future direction and action policy for nature conservation, with a proposal to announce the holding of a symposium including NGO people. Mr. Ookubo, Conference Chairman, reported and approved the proposal in KEIDANREN's permanent post board of trustees held in October.
From October 2002, the Planning Section settled the "Japan Federation of Economic Organizations Nature Conservation Declaration" the draft of which was examined from mid October. Then, the Declaration was adopted after passing the examination of Nature Conservation Conference on February 24, 2003, and those of its Chairman & Vice Chairman on March 10, 2003, and finally published on March 17 in the symposium commemorating the above-mentioned 10th anniversary, in the form of "The Economic Community quests the co-operation with NGO in order to promote Nature Conservation activities"
In 1991, Keidanren Global Environment Charter declared that global environment problem should be dealt constructively. As expected in the Charter, corporate measures on environment are on increase as consciousness on environmental issues among corporate sector is on rise. As the result, steady results are observed in such fields as production, physical distribution, and recycling. Also, since 1997, on the basis of Keidanren Voluntary Action Plan on the Environment, businesses are strengthening efforts to refrain emission of CO2 and industrial waste.
Furthermore, in January 2003, Nippon Keidanren published a new vision for Japan in 2025 titled "Envisioning A Vibrant and Atractive Nation in the Twenty-First Century" <PDF> in which Japan must profit from being "Environment-led growth" by making the most of the environment technology that Japan possesses.
In the field of nature conservation, in 1992, Keidanren established Committee on Nature Conservation to support nature conservation projects mainly in the Asia-Pacific region. During the past 10 years of the Committee, it has supported a total of 421 projects. The Committee, in addition, has been engaged in holding seminars and workshops, as well as in giving company executives opportunities to visit the actual project sites. Through these efforts, the Committee has endeavored to create a nature-conservation-friendly business community in Japan. This has resulted in a broad contribution to the nature conservation and regeneration activities, on which today's concerns demand even more corporate contribution.
The economic society today enjoys the blessing of the nature on the earth, while simultaneously putting a load on it in varying degrees. In other words, it can be said that today's development has underlying support of nature mechanism.
Today, human wisdom is called for in protecting the global environment. By closely re-examining the causal relationship between corporate activities and nature, it is expected that efforts from the corporate sector toward the realization of an "economic society harmonious with nature world."
One must further deepen our understanding of the atmosphere, biosphere, water circulation, and nature that surround us. It must also be recognized that biological diversity is a key to enriched lives so that nature conservation activities must be promoted from this context.
For an efficient promotion of nature conservation activities, it is not only necessary to probe the nature providence scientifically but also to deeply comprehend the circumstances of geographical diversity, for which international cooperation among national governments, intellectuals, NGOs, citizens and business are essential.
It is clear that each company must actively engage in nature conservation activities. And in combining all company's efforts could lead to further contribution in Japan and abroad. This is why there is a meaning in corporate sector playing a part in nature conservation activities.
With the above understanding, Nippon Keidanren shall strenuously and determinedly promote nature conservation around the world, and, for this endeavor, announces its following guidelines.