Honda Joins the “30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity” in Japan

Posted By: Tires & Parts Newson: Tuesday, April 26, 2022In: Automotive, News

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it has joined the “30 by 30 Alliance for Biodiversity” (“30 by 30 Alliance”) that is committed to pursuing conservation of biodiversity, one of the key challenges for conservation of the global environment.

The 30 by 30 (or 30×30) are the international targets to conserve and protect at least 30% of Earth’s land and ocean by 2030, being discussed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) Part1, which hold in October 2021, and are expected to be adopted in COP15 Part2, which will be hold in the near future. The 30 by 30 Alliance was established in Japan as a coalition of governments including the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, businesses and non-profit organizations, to establish structures and systems which will contribute to the attainment of the 30 by 30 targets in Japan.

To achieve the 30 by 30 targets, Honda will proactively participate in the initiatives of the 30 by 30 Alliance, which will include the works to expand protected areas including national parks and improve the quality of management applied to such protected areas. Moreover, the 30 by 30 Alliance also will work to designate, manage and promote the conservation of areas that are achieving the effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas (OECM^*1), including Satochi-Satoyama (traditional Japanese landscape)^*2 and corporate-owned forests.

Recognizing the possibility that its corporate activities could affect biodiversity, as early as the 1960s, Honda began putting significant efforts into activities that lead to the conservation of biodiversity, including afforestation activities and the recycling and reuse of industrial water at its factories. In 1976, Honda began a program to create a “hometown forest,” a forest of native tree species that preserves the ecosystem and biodiversity unique to each location, at each of its operations in Japan.

As of today, in collaboration with local governments and communities in their respective regions, a number of Honda operations in Japan pursue environmental conservation activities to protect the global environment, which include activities to conserve Satochi-Satoyama and forests as well as Honda’s original environmental conservation projects such as the HondaWoods project^*3, HelloWoods project^*4 and Honda Beach Clean project^*5.

In 2011, Honda established the “Honda Biodiversity Guidelines” which specifies four priority activities; 1) development of environmental technology, 2) initiatives based on corporate activities, 3) cooperation with communities and 4) disclosure and sharing of information. Based on the guidelines, Honda has been taking proactive approach to further enhance its environmental initiatives.

Striving to create a dream-inspiring future society where people can enjoy a rich natural environment, clean ocean, safety for everyone, a future where our children realize their dreams with no restrictions and greater comfort in life for everyone, Honda will continue its proactive commitment to the activities which will ensure Honda’s vision for the Joys for the next generation.

*1“Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs)” are a new conservation approach, separate from protected areas, where conservation is achieved by the efforts of the private sector and mainly as a by-product of other management.
*2Traditional rural Japanese landscapes consisting of farmlands, irrigation ponds, secondary forest, plantation forest, and grasslands around human settlements.
*3Afforestation project Honda associates pursue within the properties of their respective workplace. The project started in the 1970s with an aim to realize “coexistence with local communities and people” and “coexistence with the natural environment through the natural cycle of life.”
*4A facility designed to offer experiences in a natural environment, located within the Mobility Resort Motegi, in Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Surrounded by rich Satoyama nature, the facility is a “place to play and learn” through contact with nature, and is engaged in activities to support the fostering of future generations and to preserve the local environment.
*5A beach clearing project being conducted throughout Japan by associates of Honda Group companies and their local communities using the original Honda Beach Cleaner developed by Honda. The project started in 2006 with an aim to enable future generations of people to enjoy beaches while walking barefoot. To date, the project has conducted approximately 385 cleanups on more than 200 beaches throughout Japan and collected 490 tons of garbage