Exhibition of Environmentally Friendly Products and Services Attracts 100,000 Visitors

The Eco Products 2002 Exhibition, cosponsored by Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry and Nihon Keizai Shimbun (a major newspaper in Japan), was held from December 5th to 7th at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, or "Tokyo Big Sight," in Ariake, Tokyo. This annual event, held for the fourth time, exhibits earth-friendly products and services.

A record 370 corporations and organizations took part and presented a wide range of products and services, from fuel-cell-powered vehicles to daily commodities and industrial materials. Various events were held, such as presentations on environmental studies by elementary and junior high school students, meetings for career counseling in the environmental arena, a commemorative symposium that invited corporate officers of leading environment-oriented companies, and a variety of seminars.

The Eco Products Exhibition aims at accelerating the expansion of green markets by exhibiting environmentally friendly products and services, which lead to opportunities to meet and discuss with large-lot "green purchasing" buyers such as local governments and corporations and to find new business partners; equally important goals are to increase and spread awareness of the environment to general consumers and youths, to promote environmental communication between consumers and producers, and to provide a practical field for consumer education and environmental studies.

Notably, the organizers have been aiming at making the exhibition a "zero emissions" event by reducing the amount of waste such as ornaments and by promoting the use of recyclable materials. They also worked with exhibitors to make the goal of an "Eco-Friendly Eco Products Exhibition" a reality, by distributing "Guidelines for Fixtures and Ornaments at the Exhibition" on the Internet to help in planning booth designs, as well as an "Eco Checklist" for exhibitors' self-assessment of plans. In Japan, efforts to make events such as college campus festivals more environmentally friendly have been growing in recent years. The Eco Products Exhibition presents a model for large-scale commercial exhibitions to become environmentally friendly.

Despite rainy weather on the last day, over 100,000 people visited the three-day exhibition. Japan for Sustainability planned and conducted a tour of the exhibition with translation to English for non-Japanese visitors to learn about the Eco Product Exhibition, an activity which was well received by participants and exhibitors.

http://eco-pro.com/

Posted: 2003/01/12 09:38:57 AM
Japanese version