NYK President Takaya Soga and Executive Vice President Akira Kono participated in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) meeting held in New York from September 21 to 22.

The event, coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week NYC,¹ brought together global business leaders and experts to explore concrete business strategies for transitioning toward a sustainable society.

Soga participated in multiple roundtable discussions on topics such as "The Global Circularity Protocol: frontrunner engagement," "Leveraging technology and innovation to decarbonize value chains for long term value creation," and "Turning climate strategy into competitive advantage." In these sessions, he engaged with top executives from leading companies worldwide.

In the session on "Turning climate strategy into competitive advantage," Soga introduced a series of initiatives of NYK. These include a clearly defined strategic pathway towards decarbonization, investments in green ammonia,² and the utilization of satellite and sensor technologies to accurately monitor greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — addressing practical challenges such as precise emission measurement. Throughout the discussion, Soga exchanged views on effective approaches that support strategic decision-making through realistic and innovative solutions.

Kono served as one of the panelists in the session “Accelerating emissions reduction — Unlocking collective action to tip the scale for carbon removal and long-term business value.” He introduced NYK’s decarbonization initiatives and discussed the anticipated role of carbon dioxide removal.³ Kono emphasized the importance of harmonizing regulatory and disclosure frameworks internationally, sharing the costs of GHG reduction and removal across the entire supply chain, and appropriately reflecting these efforts in each company's Scope 3 emissions.⁴ He emphasized that these elements are crucial for advancing decarbonization efforts, especially in upstream industries, and facilitated an active exchange of opinions during the latter half of the session.

The WBCSD meeting centered on the importance of cross-industry collaboration, the introduction of new mechanisms, and initiatives related to energy transition, all of which aim to address climate change and build sustainable business models.

NYK is dedicated to collaboration and leadership at international forums, recognizing that decarbonizing logistics is essential to achieving carbon neutrality across all industries. The company remains committed to strengthening its responses to climate change and further advancing its efforts toward a sustainable future.

¹ Climate Week NYC
An annual international event held in September during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, bringing together government officials, business leaders, experts, and other stakeholders from around the world to discuss the latest developments in policies, technologies, and business strategies for achieving a decarbonized society.

² Green ammonia
Ammonia produced using renewable energy. Since CO2 is not emitted during its production or combustion, green ammonia is expected to be a powerful energy resource for a decarbonized society.

³ Anticipated role of carbon dioxide removal
For details on NYK's decarbonization strategy and views on carbon dioxide removal, please refer to the “Position Paper Role of Carbon Dioxide Removal in the NYK Group’s Decarbonization Strategy.”

⁴ Scope 3 emissions
Indirect GHG emissions generated across a company's entire supply chain, stemming from activities not directly owned or managed by the company.