MHI Group Issues Declaration on Biodiversity -- Declaration Identifies Initiatives for Conserving and Restoring Biodiversity and Natural Capital, to Realize a World that Lives in Harmony with Nature --

Tokyo, April 21, 2023 – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has newly issued the “MHI Group’s Declaration on Biodiversity” defining initiatives to be undertaken by MHI Group to conserve and restore biodiversity(Note1) and natural capital(Note2) in a quest to realize the vision of a world that lives in harmony with nature.

Today, rapid loss of biodiversity and natural capital is recognized internationally. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-15) in December 2022 called for nature-positive initiatives to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to put nature on a path to recovery as its mission for 2030, and to achieve a world that lives in harmony with nature as its vision for 2050.

MHI Group’s business activities both depend on and have potential to impact biodiversity and natural capital in various ways. In keeping with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Company profoundly recognizes the importance of adopting nature-positive initiatives, and to realize a world that lives in harmony with nature by 2050 MHI Group has declared its commitment to undertake the following initiatives:

• Identify dependencies and potential impacts of Group business activities on biodiversity and natural capital
• Strive to mitigate negative impacts on biodiversity and natural capital in all aspects of our business activities, including product R&D, design, procurement of raw materials, manufacture, transport, usage, service, and disposal
• Recognize that biodiversity loss and climate change are closely linked and treat biodiversity loss as one of the most important management issues together with climate change
• Promote recovery of nature and revitalization of regions through environmental stewardship initiatives to preserve biodiversity and natural capital
• Share knowledge through collaboration with stakeholders to improve effectiveness of initiatives for biodiversity and natural capital
• Raise awareness on biodiversity and natural capital among all Group employees through environmental education

Going forward, MHI Group will undertake the foregoing initiatives to conserve and restore biodiversity and natural capital in order to contribute to realization of a sustainable society.

• URL:https://www.mhi.com/sustainability/environment/pdf/declaration_on_biodiversity_e.pdf

• 1Including diversity within and between species, and diversity of ecosystems
• 2 All natural resources from which humanity receives diverse benefits: including plants, animals, water, air, soils, minerals, etc. The health and stability of natural capital are sustained by biodiversity.

・Participation in “Declaration of Biodiversity by Keidanren”
MHI is an active participant in the “Declaration of Biodiversity by Keidanren and Action Policy (Revised Edition).” As of March 31, 2023, a total of 273 companies and organizations are either carrying out a multiple number of the 7 items listed under this initiative launched by Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), or agree with its overall idea and purposes.
https://www.keidanren.or.jp/en/policy/2018/084.html

・Example of MHI Group’s Action for Biodiversity: Conservation of Loggerhead Turtles in Tanegashima
Since 2015, MHI Group has supported the Tanegashima Loggerhead Turtle Survey, an undertaking sponsored by the authorized NPO Earthwatch Japan and conducted in Tanegashima, a key location for the Group’s rocket launch business. The loggerhead turtle is in danger of global extinction. Although Tanegashima is the second-largest spawning ground for the loggerhead turtle, there have been very few individual identification surveys conducted here for the purpose of conservation. It is hoped that the Tanegashima Loggerhead Turtle Survey will not only help to clarify the loggerhead turtle’s ecology but also lead to its conservation.
https://www.earthwatch.jp(in Japanese only)