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Launch of LCA Plus Service — Japan's First Platform for Visualizing Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Individual Products

Aug. 3, 2022

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenichi Hori) has begun accepting applications for the use of LCA Plus, a platform for the visualization of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for individual products using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The platform was developed jointly with the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization ("SuMPO", Office: Tokyo, Representative Director: Takehisa Kabeya), the only organization in Japan providing ISO-based carbon footprint certification.

Website URL:

https://lcaplus-pf.com/

Since the announcement of the business concept in May 2021, Mitsui has conducted trials with about 30 companies, including manufacturers of automobiles and consumer goods, and developed the LCA Plus platform, which enables companies to visualize and estimate GHG emissions for their products across entire supply chains, including procurement, transportation, and production.

LCA Plus is Japan's first GHG emission visualization platform capable of estimating emissions for individual products under the ISO14040 and ISO14044 standards, which enable life cycle-oriented environmental management of products, and is a patent pending platform service. By using LCA Plus, companies can easily estimate life cycle GHG emissions for their products. They can also collect supply chain GHG data, provide reports to purchasers of their products, and conduct simulations and progress management for their own GHG emission reduction initiatives.

Mitsui has so far helped companies and municipalities to reduce GHG missions using the e-dash platform, which visualizes GHG emissions per company and business site. From August 2022, it will be able to use LCA Plus to also support GHG emission visualization and reduction initiatives for individual products or entire supply chains by manufacturers and other companies with complex supply chains. Through this initiative, Mitsui will work to enhance the presence of Japanese decarbonization services and technologies in the global market and aim to develop new business in collaboration with companies in this field.

In its Medium-term Management Plan 2023, Mitsui has identified "Sustainability Management/Evolution of ESG" as one of its priority corporate strategies, and has adopted a policy of achieving net zero GHG emissions under its vision for 2050. Furthermore, it has designated Energy Solutions as a strategic focus area and aims to create businesses that will help to combat climate change. LCA Plus and e-dash will enable Mitsui to contribute to the development of an eco-friendly society by providing comprehensive support for GHG reduction initiatives by companies and municipalities.

Platform for CO2 calculation, visualization, reporting and analysis on the supply chain with LCA

Mitsui’s Materiality

“Build brighter futures, everywhere” as our corporate mission, and to gain the trust and expectations of our stakeholders to realize a better tomorrow for earth and for people around the world, we have identified five material issues (“Materiality”) for Mitsui’s sustainable growth. We anticipate this particular project/ business to contribute especially to the realization of “Enhance quality of life” and “Create an eco-friendly society”