Environmental Activities
Since establishing Japan's first Eco Fund in 1999, Nikko Asset Management has worked simultaneously to both provide environmentally friendly investment trusts to our customers and make sure that our business activities are environmentally sound. Nikko Asset Management's Environmental Policy is founded on three pillars: Expanding green investment, promotion of office energy and resource savings, and open disclosure. Our employees are constantly looking for ways to be kind to the environment in their daily tasks. Our environmental education activities are aimed at boosting employee awareness of Nikko Asset Management's duty to protect the natural environment as a "good corporate citizen."
The following are just a few of our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment.
Signatory to the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
Since its establishment in 1992, the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) has established closepartnerships with over 160 financial institutions from around the world. The UNEP FI is a UN organization with a mission to identify, promote, and realize the adoption of the most desirable forms of environmental and sustainability practice at all levels of business practice.
Nikko Asset Management became a signatory to the UNEP FI on March 1, 2000, and has been actively engaged in global environment conservation through its asset management business. In November 2006 Nikko Asset Management attended the organization’s Annual General Meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland.
Holder of ISO 14001 Certification, The International Standard for Environmental Management Systems
Nikko Asset Management became Japan’s first asset management company to obtain ISO 14001 certification, the international standard for environmental management systems. Aside from developing activities for energy saving and resource saving, as part of eco-office activities, we are also working to apply environmental management systems in our asset management business. In SRI fund planning and development, including information disclosure, we are strengthening our investment management systems
The environmental management system strengthening collaboration amongst departments and improving effectiveness thorough a company-wide approach is moving forward centered around environmental management promotion committee members from each department.
Nikko Asset Management is a Member of Team Minus 6%
Team Minus 6% is the name given to the national effort to achieve Japan’s Kyoto Protocol pledge to reduce greenhouse gases by 6%. It was begun by the Ministry of Environment in April 2005 from the concept of encouraging the Japanese people to work as a team to prevent global warming.
Nikko Asset Management joined the “team” in March 2007 and has called on its employees to cooperate in the following efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Promoting Environmental Education and Volunteer Activities
We are keenly aware of the need for our employees to think carefully about the environment and start taking action. To boost employee awareness of environmental issues, we have begun internal events known as “Sawakai” to give employees the chance to discuss environmental issues over tea. In February 2007, 62 employees including our CEO, President, and Managing Director attended a showing of the environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth. We have also established a Volunteer Committee with the objective of promoting employee participation in environmental preservation activities. The committee’s 13 members, including the secretariat, are involved in planning and implementing volunteer opportunities.1
1 As of December 31, 2007
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