Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, "Marubeni") is pleased to announce that it has started a proof of concept for corrugated boxes procurements (hereinafter, “PoC”) with a major Japanese beverage manufacturer. The aim of the PoC is to provide a platform service that would achieve both visualization of Greenhouse Gas (hereinafter, “GHG”) emissions associated with material procurement and optimization of a sustainable supply chain.

This PoC will measure GHG emissions of various corrugated box manufacturers, and conduct a simulation that selects an optimum supplier and procurement amount, based on multiple conditions including environmental impact, product cost and delivery distance. The PoC will target Scope 3 categories 1 and 4 (*1), which is considered to be difficult for companies to assess on their own due to the large number of stakeholders involved. Utilizing its vast experience in manufacturing and selling containerboard paper, and its knowledge in a wide range of industries, Marubeni is aiming to reduce GHG emissions throughout the entire supply chain. In addition, Marubeni will build a highly accurate service in conformity with the GHG Protocol (*2) standards under the supervision of Mr. Norihiro Itsubo, a professor of Environmental Studies at Tokyo City University, who has a rich insight into Life Cycle Assessment (*3).

After completing the PoC (which is scheduled to be completed by the end of December 2021), Marubeni is planning to expand the resulting service to other companies, as well as other procurement materials based on the PoC. In addition, Marubeni is considering looking for more participant companies for this project with a view of creating a jointly established service in order to further improve the service by providing low-carbon technologies and carbon credits that would contribute to decarbonized management.

In the "Long-Term Vision on Climate Change" announced in March 2021, Marubeni set out its plan to achieve net-zero GHG emissions within the Group by 2050, and at the same time established an action plan towards 2030. Moving forward, Marubeni will continue to contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.

(*1) Scope 3: Refers to the emissions of other companies related to the activities of the business (indirect emissions other than Scope 1 and 2). Category 1 applies to purchased products and services, and Category 4 to transportation and delivery (upstream).
(*2) GHG Protocol: Guidelines for calculating and reporting GHG emissions.
(*3) Life Cycle Assessment: A method to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impact of a product or service throughout its life cycle or at specific stages thereof.

＜Reference＞
Press Release Dated March 9, 2021
The Marubeni Long-Term Vision on Climate Change: Towards Net-Zero GHG Emissions
https://www.marubeni.com/en/news/2021/release/00022.html