Sustainability Initiatives through Business Activities

Sojitz is engaged in the establishment and management of a forestland fund in the United States through EFM Sojitz Management, LLC, a joint venture established with EFM Investments & Advisory, LLC (EFM) through its wholly owned subsidiary, Sojitz Corporation of America.

Under this initiative, forests are regarded not merely as investment assets, but as natural capital capable of generating both environmental and economic value through responsible management. By combining EFM’s expertise in forestland investment and management with Sojitz’s experience in business development and investment, as well as its global network, the partnership acquires and manages forest assets in accordance with local forest conditions and regional characteristics.

Practices such as selective harvesting and extended rotation periods help enhance forests’ capacity to absorb and store CO₂ while supporting biodiversity conservation, water resource stewardship, and harmonious coexistence with local communities, thereby promoting the sustainable use of forest resources.

Through this sustainable forest management approach, Sojitz seeks to contribute to climate change mitigation and ecosystem conservation while enhancing the long-term value of forest assets. At the same time, the company aims to create sustainable business value from the diverse benefits forests provide, including timber sales, high-quality carbon credits focused primarily on carbon removals*, and conservation easements.

Sojitz provides a range of solutions to support the decarbonization of tenant companies in its overseas industrial park business, including the introduction of renewable energy and energy management services. By delivering services tailored to local needs, Sojitz contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with industrial activities.

As the adoption of commercial electric vehicles (EVs) accelerates in the logistics and delivery industry, new challenges have emerged, including increased power demand from simultaneous overnight charging, higher contracted electricity capacity, ensuring sufficient charging for next-day operations, and the upfront investment required for charging infrastructure.
To help logistics operators reduce their environmental impact and improve energy efficiency, the Sojitz Group is deploying EV Auto Charge, an EV charging optimization system provided by Sojitz Tech-Innovation.
The system monitors each vehicle's State of Charge (SOC) in real time and automatically controls charging timing and charging volume. This enables efficient utilization of limited charging infrastructure while reducing peak electricity demand and optimizing energy consumption. In addition, by continuously collecting and analyzing operational data, the system helps improve charging schedules and infrastructure utilization, thereby supporting logistics operators in enhancing their environmental performance.
The system has been introduced at ASKUL LOGIST, where it manages charging for EVs from multiple manufacturers and supports operations based on the concept of optimizing EV charging with the minimum necessary charging infrastructure. Going forward, the Sojitz Group will continue to enhance the service based on operational feedback from customers, contributing to the decarbonization of the logistics sector and the continuous improvement of energy efficiency.

In January 2021, Sojitz acquired a stake in TES-AMM JAPAN K.K., the Japanese branch of TES Group, one of the largest global IT asset disposition service providers. Through this investment, we look to promote the normalization of reuse and recycling of IT equipment in order to contribute to the realization of circular economies. In addition, TES Group is moving forward with the development of a lithium-ion battery recycling business that utilizes Sojitz’s network.
Sojitz also holds an in-house collection drive for unused IT equipment twice a year, and the collected devices are recycled by TES-AMM JAPAN.

In February 2023, Sojitz acquired a 34% stake in eCycle Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of JX Metals and Canada’s largest collector and processor of e-waste (discarded household appliances and electronic devices). Sojitz and JX Metals began joint collaboration on the recycling business in April 2023.
eCycle recycles e-waste in Canada and is also developing an IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)* business. JX Metals is aiming to increase the ratio of recycled raw materials to 50% by 2040, and Sojitz has identified resource recycling as a key sustainability issue. Through this collaboration with JX Metals, Sojitz aims to enhance eCycle’s corporate value and contribute to the realization of a recycling-oriented society.

• IT Asset Disposition (ITAD): Services related to the effective use of IT assets such as discarded electronic devices and electronic circuit boards after data erasure, particularly their reuse and recycling.

Sojitz has entered the natural-gas power and desalination business in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, a water-stressed region.

In May of 2021, Sojitz acquired a 20% stake in Mirfa International Power and Water Company (MIPCO), which operates the Mirfa Independent Water and Power Project in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The company acquired all shares in MIPCO held by SHUAA Capital, a major asset management and investment firm in the Emirate of Dubai. Sojitz manages operations together with existing shareholders Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA), one of the largest integrated utilities companies in the EMEA region based in Abu Dhabi, along with ENGIE SA, a major French energy company with extensive experience in the development and operation of large-scale IPP/IWPP projects around the world.

The project consists of natural gas-fired power facilities which have a generation capacity of 1,600MW and desalination facilities which have a desalination capacity of 52.5 million imperial gallons per day. Sojitz and its partners own and operate the power and desalination plant. All electricity and water produced by the plant are sold to Emirates Water and Electricity Company under a 25-year long-term power and water purchase agreement. Sojitz seeks to provide a stable supply of electricity and water in Abu Dhabi where demand is increasing in response to economic development utilizing natural gas which is an environmentally friendly fossil fuel with a lower environmental burden of combustion compared to other types of fossil fuels used for thermal power plants.