With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations Summit in September 2015, ZERI Japan is moving from the initiatives stage to another stage where we realize a sustainable business model “Blue Economy.”

The 21st-century mission is to realize the economy that would coexist with the global ecosystem through overcoming traditional conflicts between the environment and economy.

We have been working on zero emissions in Japan intending to build a circular society.

Think about the earth once today. Applying the concept of ecological footprint to our current consumption, we would need the land equivalent to 5.3 pieces of the Earth if we live in the lifestyle of the USA, and 2.4 if we live in the lifestyle of Japan. But we know we have only one Earth. What should we do?

In the words of Ninomiya Sontoku, the 19th-century Japanese agricultural leader and philosopher said: “An economy without moral is decadence, and moral without economy is a talk in sleep.” A society should be a “moral society.” So what is a real “moral society”?

We believe that one of the answers is the “Blue Economy”. The Blue Economy is the key to realize a sustainable world.

In the Blue Economy, the combination of science, innovation, and entrepreneurship create new businesses that change the world. And it’s of paramount importance to take action in realizing the blue economy. These actions may be a small step in changing the planet, but later these steps will make a significant path to the realization of a sustainable society.