The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition (hereinafter referred to as “the Association”) held the “Sustainable Initiatives Awards” ceremony on 12 October 2025. The awards are aimed to recognise and encourage sustainability initiatives by participants at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (hereafter “the Expo”), and to share the results of these initiatives as part of the Expo’s legacy
At the award ceremony, certificates were presented to non-official participant companies and organisations that implemented outstanding initiatives providing new solutions for decarbonization and resource circulation and were highly compliant with the “Code of Sustainable Procurement.” Award recipients also presented on the initiatives implemented by their respective companies and organisations.
“Sustainable Initiatives Awards” Award Ceremony
１ Date and Time: 14:00 – 16:30, Sunday, 12 October
２ Location: EXPO Salon, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan Site (West Ringside Marketplace 2nd floor)
３ Programme
14:00 – Part 1 Opening Greetings by the Organiser
Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
Sustainability Bureau Director General NAGAMI Yasushi
14:10 – Award Ceremony
14:38 – 14:45 – Photo session for award recipients
14:45 – Part 1 Closing
15:00 – Part 2 Opening
15:00 – 16:30 – Presentations of Award Winners’ Initiatives
Award-winning initiatives and winners (in alphabetical order by category)
[Decarbonisation Category]
“Decarbonisation initiatives within the Expo site”
・The Japan Gas Association
・Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.
・KINDEN CORPORATION
・SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
・SEVEN-ELEVEN JAPAN CO.,LTD.
[Resource Recycling Category]
“Initiatives to reduce and reuse waste within the Expo site (primarily efforts to reduce plastic and food waste)”
・URBAN RESEARCH Co., Ltd.
・G-Place Corporation
・Zojirushi Corporation, Nakano Manufacturing Co., Ltd., STUFF Co., Ltd.
[Procurement Category]
“Procurement of goods and services based on the Code of Sustainable Procurement.”
* General sustainability standards (common criteria)
・OBAYASHI CORPORATION, DAITETSU KOGYO CO., LTD., and TSUCHIYA CORPORATION Joint Venture
・KONOIKE CONSTRUCTION CO.,LTD.
・SEVEN-ELEVEN JAPAN CO.,LTD.
・TAISEI CORPORATION
・FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES LTD.
* Click here (Japanese) for an overview of each winner’s initiatives and reasons for their selection.
* Total number of applicants: 28
Award Winners Photo Session
(Top row, from left)
- G-Place Corporation, President & CEO – AYABE Eiju
- Zojirushi Corporation, Senior Advisor for New Business – KUMAGAI Hiroshi (Awarded to the Zojirushi Corporation, Nakano Manufacturing Co., Ltd., and STUFF Co., Ltd. Joint Venture)
- OBAYASHI CORPORATION, Executive Officer, Senior General Manager of Building Construction Division at Osaka Main Office (responsible for construction projects), and Senior Project Director of Yumeshima General Project Office at Osaka Main Office – TAKAGI Masaki (Awarded to the Obayashi Corporation, Daitetsu Kogyo, and Tsuchiya Joint Venture)
- KONOIKE CONSTRUCTION CO.,LTD., Representative Director and President – WATATSU Hiroki
- TAISEI CORPORATION, Managing Executive Officer and Kansai Branch Manager – ADACHI Kenji
- FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES LTD., Upstream Business Division and Product Strategy Department Manager – SAITO Tsuyoshi
- URBAN RESEARCH Co., Ltd., Senior Chief (Sustainability Promotion) – MIYA Yoshiaki SDR
(Bottom row, from left)
- Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., Executive Officer and General Manager of Gas Production and Engineering Division – HATANAKA Norio
- KINDEN CORPORATION, Vice President and Lead Executive Officer – SATO Moriyoshi
- Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, Sustainability Bureau Director General – NAGAMI Yasushi
- SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD. SEKISUI SOLAR FILM CO., LTD. President and CEO- KAMIWAKI Futoshi
- SEVEN-ELEVEN JAPAN CO.,LTD., Marketing Division Expo 2025 Project Sub-Leader – AKAZAWA Taichi
- The Japan Gas Association, Gas Pavilion Director – KANAZAWA Shigeko
Selection and Award Selection Method
Applications were accepted from 1 May to the end of July. Working group members from the Sustainability Expert Committee selected the most suitable candidates from the applicants in each category. Based on the results, the Association selected the winners. The judging criteria for each category are as follows:
(1) Judging Criteria for the Decarbonisation Category [PDF: 274KB]
(2) Judging Criteria for the Resource Recycling Category [PDF: 274KB]
(3) Judging Criteria for the Procurement Category [PDF: 274KB]
Comments from the Chairs of Each Category
[Decarbonisation Category]
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan is being operated with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by introducing the latest technologies available as of 2025.
In addition, demonstrations and exhibits of decarbonisation technologies that need to be developed and implemented to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 are being held, providing an opportunity to see what a decarbonised society will look like.
The initiatives that led to this award are in line with the overall direction of the Expo, each introducing and demonstrating promising new technologies. These technologies are expected to be used in a wide range of areas where decarbonisation is required, such as large-scale social infrastructure, the construction industry, and the retail stores we visit every day. Going forward, we hope that by clearly publicising the results of these initiatives, these technologies will be deployed more widely in society and contribute to the realisation of a decarbonised society.
[Resource Recycling Category]
With regard to the daily generation of disposable plastics, food waste, and other waste generated at the Expo site, efforts are being made to maximise reduction through reducing and reusing. The separation and recycling of resources is also being implemented. In fact, within the site itself, one gets the impression that there is relatively little plastic waste. This may be an indication of the results of the 3Rs and other waste reduction efforts of everyone involved in this Expo.
In particular, the award-winning initiatives were highly praised for encouraging behavioural change among visitors while reducing waste generated at the Expo site, in line with the purpose of this award programme. Furthermore, some initiatives were successful due to collaboration between companies and organisations, raising expectations for future expansion. We hope that the various initiatives implemented this time will not only be evaluated for their results, but also for their challenges, leading to new developments and becoming the norm in society going forward.
[Procurement Category]
The Expo requires all businesses to comply with the “Code of Sustainable Procurement.” Many of the award-winning initiatives demonstrated environmental innovation and social impact while complying with the Code of Sustainable Procurement. The Expo is truly being used as a testing ground for the future society, and we expect it will have a positive impact on various industries even after the Expo ends. Although not receiving an award, there were also some outstanding initiatives that took labour and human rights into consideration. We hope that future procurement processes will further advance initiatives that specifically demonstrate sustainability in the areas of environment, human rights, labour, and economy.
Award Winner Presentations
In the second part of the ceremony, the award winners gave presentations about their initiatives.
Click here for the award winner presentation materials [PDF format: 7.2 MB]
(Sustainability Bureau)