High School Students Win Special Award for Developing Carbon-Offsetting Products

Nanyo Company Club of Nanyo Senior High School website.

The Nanyo Company Club of Nanyo Senior High School in Kyoto was awarded a Special Prize at the Fifth Carbon Offset Awards sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment on Dec. 11, 2015. The group received praise for their initiatives to offset carbon by actively developing original products in cooperation with a local food manufacturer, aiming to make contributions in the area.

Carbon offset is a strategy that involves the purchasing of credits equal to the volume of future greenhouse gas emissions and to use these credits to offset such emissions. The Nanyo Company Club purchases credits equivalent to the gas emissions generated during the manufacture and sale of products. In order to make further local contributions, the group uses credits created by maintaining a water conservation forest in the region.

Many of their products are obtained through fair trade in addition to the application of carbon offset credits. The group aims to raise awareness toward solutions for child labor and poverty around the world by selling its products. The introduction of fair trade and carbon offset inspired the development of new products for the region by club members.

Carbon offset and fair trade schemes are not yet widely recognized in Japan, and the group members are eager to spread information to as many people as people as possible.