The BPF (Business Policy Forum, Japan) is a general incorporated foundation that conducts research studies and make recommendations on the state of policies around various economic and social issues as well as business vitality.

Background

Leveraging our capabilities in information gathering and writing on sustainability to support the secretariat

The BPF has the CSR Committee undertake research studies and examine a wide range of sustainability issues and business vitality. Taking a multi-stakeholder approach, the committee comprises individuals from leading corporations in the field of CSR in Japan, as well as from governments, academia, NGOs and industry organizations.

Having been invited by LRQA Sustainability, a company that jointly serves as the committee’s secretariat, some members of EcoNetworks have also joined the secretariat as researchers.

Approach

FY2022 topic: How to best disclose ESG information

The CSR Committee publishes a research studies report every year. The report brings together the committee’s case presentations and discussions that play out several times during the year, along with the studies conducted by the secretariat. In FY2022, EcoNetworks not only wrote the reports for the major studies, but it also compiled the interview surveys of leading corporations and summarized the key points discussed by the committee.

The topic of the FY2022 report was “The ways to disclose corporate ESG information in order to increase sustainability of society and enhance creation of corporate value.” Click here to read the report summary in English (opens in a new window).

Outcome

Incorporating many different opinions into the report

Given that a broad range of opinions from various points of view are presented at the committee’s meetings, we made sure to accurately reflect each and every one of them in the report.

Also, when creating the report, we  carefully included the following:
– Takeaways that company executives can utilize in their decision making.
– Takeaways that can be used by sustainability managers in their day-to-day work.

In July 2023, a report briefing session was held, during which a lively discussion took place.

The committee has thus far addressed various topics, and we too have helped put together the following reports as a member of the joint secretariat.

FY2021 Report summary: Report on the Ways to Take the Opportunity of “Business and Human Rights” Requirements in Contemporary Sustainable Society (FY2021, March 2022)
FY2020 Report summary: Report on the Challenges of Promoting CSR in the Coming Years following the COVID-19 Pandemic (FY2020, March 2021)
FY2019 Report summary: Encouraged actions to create “Value for Society” by corporations to achieve SDGs (FY2019, March 2020)
FY2018 Report summary: Investigative Research on How “Business and Human Rights” Should Be for The New Era (FY2018, March 2019)
FY2017 Report summary: Investigative Research Report on  Ideal Non-financial Information Disclosure in the New Era – Building a Better Relationship with Various Stakeholders – (FY2017, March 2018)