Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Aeon appears to be positively and actively engaged on climate policies in Japan. Aeon has directly advocated for the Japanese government to set more ambitious 2030 targets for renewable energy and emissions reductions and has appeared to support energy efficiency legislation and carbon taxes.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Aeon appears to have positive top-line messaging on climate policy. In the Aeon Report 2023 published in October 2023, Aeon CEO, Akio Yoshida, acknowledges climate change as a significant environmental issue and its impact on private sectors. Likewise, in the same report, Aeon supports the pursuit of the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement as well as the reduction of CO2 emissions to zero.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Aeon appears to be positively engaging with climate-related policies via multiple industry associations that the company has a membership to in Japan. Aeon joined a discussion in the working group and signed a policy recommendation by RE100 submitted to the government in June 2024, stating that the company supported increased ambition of renewable energy targets of tripling renewable energy generation capacity by 2030 with its accompanied public and private investments towards the target. Aeon also endorsed an open statement by Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) submitted to the government in April 2023 while supporting early implementation of carbon pricing schemes such as the emission trading system and the carbon levy to be introduced by 2035.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Aeon appears to be very positive on energy transition in Japan. On a JCI website in June 2022, Aeon endorsed a message sent by the initiative, promoting the need for stringent policy intervention to ensure the ramp up of renewable energy in the energy mix. In June 2022, companies and organizations including Aeon sent a message calling for accelerating the introduction of renewable energy to address the energy transition. Regarding vehicle electrification, in the Aeon Report 2023, Aeon appeared to support the electrification of light-duty vehicles by installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Industry Association Governance: Aeon has not disclosed a full list of its industry association membership in its corporate reporting, neither has it published a review of its alignment with industry association on climate policy. In its 2023 CDP submission, Aeon disclosed membership to only one industry association, which is Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership (JCLP), with its climate position and the company’s role in influencing their policy position. Aeon is also a member of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), which has been negatively engaged with various climate policies. Aeon CEO, Motoya Okada, sits on a standing director of Japan Retailers Association (JRA) as well as on the board of directors and sustainable chain initiative (SSCI) of Consumer Goods Forum.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2024.