Biodiversity

Our Approach to Biodiversity

ORIX Environmental Policy stipulates that we “give due consideration to our impact on biodiversity”.
ORIX recognizes it both depends on and impacts the natural environment both directly through its own business activities and indirectly through the business activities of its customers. We will continue to analyze the relationship between our value chain and natural capital from both a risk and an opportunity perspective, and use the insights gained to inform how we can continue to address social issues through our business activities.

Initiatives for Risk Reduction

• Our governance structure constitutes deliberation on sustainability issues, including biodiversity, by the Sustainability Committee, with such deliberations being reported to the Board of Directors.
• As an ESG-related Key Goal, we have set a target to reduce the balance of our investments and loans in sectors with high environmental impact, such as fossil fuel mining, palm oil plantations, and forestry.
• We prohibit new transactions in certain sectors and business practices that negatively impact biodiversity such as the manufacture, use, and importing/exporting of internationally prohibited agricultural chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, dynamite fishing, and the handling of specific wildlife species.
• In our renewable energy business, we engage in dialogue with local communities and experts and conduct environmental assessments in accordance with laws and regulations. In addition, we have voluntarily established Guidelines for Environmental and Social Considerations and are taking biodiversity considerations into account when conducting our business activities.

Initiatives to Create Business Opportunities

Robeco
Robeco integrates a sustainability perspective, including biodiversity, into its business strategy, and incorporates sustainability into its investment criteria across most of its portfolio. By exerting influence throughout the entire investment process, including selection of investees, monitoring, and exercise of voting rights, Robeco provides not only investment returns but also social impact.
Please see below for details on Robeco's initiatives.
Robeco launches biodiversity paper and teams up with WWF-NL
Robeco launches biodiversity strategy[408KB]

SUMIDA AQUARIUM and KYOTO AQUARIUM
SUMIDA AQUARIUM and KYOTO AQUARIUM, both operated by ORIX, provide opportunities where visitors can learn about living creatures and ecosystems, and also contribute to biodiversity through conservation, education, and research activities.
Both aquariums are working on an initiative to take action, or AQTION!, for our planet's future. The word AQTION is a portmanteau of the words ‘action’ and ‘aquarium,’ and illustrates the actions the aquariums plan to take. Specifically, the aquariums engage in conservation activities of rare and endangered species such as sea turtles and giant salamanders, run educational programs such as workshops at the aquariums and at public schools on local ecosystems, and conduct research on preventive veterinary medicine. In addition to collaborating with local governments, regional communities, and educational institutions, we also invite the participation of various companies, including our business partners who support our aims and objectives.
Please see below for details on AQTION! at each aquarium.
AQTION！at SUMIDA AQUARIUM(in Japanese)
AQTION！at KYOTO AQUARIUM(in Japanese)

DAIKYO
As an apartment developer, DAIKYO prioritizes its responsibility regarding biodiversity conservation, and is committed to developments that take into consideration the equilibrium and sustainability of the surrounding environment, scenery, and living creatures. Conserving local natural life and the efforts to pass down biodiversity conservation to the next generation are being realized in the form of the Ecological Network PASS(in Japanese), which is being rolled out across the country in many prominent developments. The Ecological Network PASS does environmental research on planned development sites (including the surrounding area within a 2 km radius) and then conducts an evaluation based on the site's green space and water resources. The results of this evaluation determine green space configuration tailored to the area and planting design plans that focus on native species of trees. DAIKYO is assessing the planting design plan by its own standards based on the Association for Business Innovation in harmony with Nature and Community (ABINC) certification's standards^*.

• As a third party, ABINC rates and certifies companies based on their efforts managing and utilizing green spaces with respect for biodiversity. This rating and certification are based on Guidelines by the Working Group for Discovering & Sharing Green Values(R) and Land Use Score Card(R) by the Japan Business Initiative for Biodiversity (JBIB).