Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) has commenced demonstration tests of the DNP Life Cycle CO₂ Certification system in Japan. The new service will provide a third-party certified calculation of the carbon footprint, or CO₂ emissions throughout the entire life, of all packaging handled by the company.

The demonstration tests will be conducted in collaboration with the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO), an organization with long domestic experience of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA^*1).

The DNP Life Cycle CO₂ Certification system will acquire third-party certification for the DNP management system and the tools that automatically calculate the carbon footprint. As a result, it will become possible to acquire third-party certification for calculation results without the need to undertake screening once again, leading to improved reliability.

DNP plans to commence full-scale operations from the spring 2022, facilitating the timely visualization of carbon-neutral initiatives at our stakeholders.

Background to Demonstration Tests

Many domestic and overseas companies regard climate-change as a long term risk factor, and are promoting proactive engagement in a number of areas. These include disclosure corresponding to Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD^*2) initiatives, an international disclosure framework, and the setting of reduction targets consistent with Science Based Targets (SBT^*3).

In particular, the carbon footprint calculates CO₂ emissions of products and services over their entire life cycle. In addition to being useful in the visualization of carbon management as part of corporate business activities and in communication with consumers, carbon footprints are also attracting the attention of investors and financial institutions as a means to improve management assessment.

Over the past 20 years, DNP has calculated the carbon footprint on an in-house basis for all the packages it manufactures, from raw material procurement through manufacturing to disposal. We have given expression to such calculations in product planning and development, and disclosed calculation results on an external basis. In order to acquire third-party certification from external organizations, it has also been necessary to undertake screening for carbon footprint calculation results on a product basis.

In collaboration with SuMPO we began studies aimed at realizing the new system in April 2021, and commenced demonstration tests^*4 in October. In order to be able to provide third-party calculation results in a timely manner, the system presently under construction is designed to support carbon neutral efforts at companies throughout the entire life cycle from raw materials procurement, through production and delivery to resource recycling. 

DNP Life Cycle CO₂ Certification system Features

The system is designed so that the management system and calculation tools, including the preparation of the calculation guideline and installation of internal testers can acquire third-party certification. As the results provided to stakeholders are certified by SuMPO, it is possible to reduce the time and cost required to acquire third-party verification. In addition, it is also possible to stay abreast of the ratios of packaging materials vis-a-vis CO₂ reduction targets set by companies, along with CO₂ reduction level when using eco-friendly packaging materials.

Going Forward

Through this demonstration project, DNP plans to conclude screening and obtain third party certification by March, 2022, and will launch full scale operations from the spring. We will also build a system capable of providing carbon footprint simulation results for containers made of a variety of materials, and for plastic products, in addition to providing third-party certified calculation results. We will propose LCA-driven environmental burden reduction scenarios, while supporting carbon neutral initiatives in a broad range of industries, including consulting services that measure targeted effects.

DNP’s Environmental Initiatives

The DNP Group constantly considers the synergy between our business activities and the global environment, and is promoting a variety of initiatives targeting the realization of better sustainable society. In March 2020, we established the DNP Group Environmental Vision 2050, and are now accelerating the creation of values designed to achieve the realization of a decarbonized, recycling-oriented society that is in harmony with nature. In particular, we are focused on eco-friendly packaging materials for foods and daily necessities that people purchase on a daily basis. To this end, we have launched the DNP-Friendly Packaging Series, GREEN PACKAGING^*5 and are providing society with the three values of the recycling of resources, CO₂ reduction, and conservation of the natural environment. Looking to the future, we will forge ahead with the introduction into Japan of SIG Combibloc Group manufactured eco-friendly paper containers, and will endeavour to reduce plastic waste while reducing environmental burdens.

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: Tokyo
President: Mr. Yoshinari Kitajima

Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO)
Headquarters: Tokyo
Representative: Professor Emeritus Hideki Ishida

 

*1, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A method for quantitative evaluation of the environmental burden over the entire life cycle, or at a specific stage, of a product or service, including resource extraction, primary material production, product manufacturing, distribution, consumption, disposal and recycling. An international environmental management standard has been created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

*2, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): Established in 2015 by the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the central banks of the major nations and global regions, financial supervisors, and international organizations that include the representatives, such as the Finance Ministers of member nations. In order to reduce the risks of the destabilization of the financial markets, an analysis of business risk and business opportunity originating in medium- to long-term climate risk are forwarded to all bond and equity issuing bodies, including companies, along with proposals these be reflected in financial information disclosures.

*3, Science-Based Targets: The SBT Initiative was jointly launched in 2015 as a partnership among the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).The objective of the SBT initiative is to achieve GHG emissions reduction targets consistent with the Paris Agreement of 2015 that aims to limit global warming to below 2 °C compared to the pre-industrial period.

*4, SuMPO: Please refer to the following news release datelined October 1, 2021. (Japanese only).
https://sumpo.or.jp/news/release20211001.html
DNP is jointly engaged, with SuMPO, in demonstration tests related to the design of the SuMPO verification system. DNP will build a system compatible with the verification system while SuMPO will conduct the screening.

*5: For further information on Green Packaging, please visit
https://www.dnp.co.jp/biz/solution/products/detail/1190186_1567.html
(Japanese only)


*Company names, products and service names appearing in this release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of those companies.
*Product information and service details described in this release are accurate as of the date of issue. They are subject to change without notice.