With climate change issues in recent years threatening the soundness of the natural environment that supports vibrant societies and football activities, J.LEAGUE will continue advancing initiatives toward the realisation of our climate action strategy with the aim of ensuring that football can continue and develop in a sustainable manner going forward. We have set out the climate action goals of tackling areas where climate change solutions overlap with regional development, and contributing to regional revitalisation by positioning the home towns of J.Clubs as hubs while addressing climate change issues.

Since our founding in 1991, J.LEAGUE has established the important activity policy of developing clubs as an integral part of the community. We have advanced home town activities together with local governments, local sponsoring companies, fans and supporters, local press, and the countless members of local communities who support club management, and promoted social cooperation activities in collaboration with all our stakeholders, including local corporations. On the occasion of the 25th founding anniversary in 2018, we declared that we will be promoting activities based on a co-creative model that will generate greater activity impact. Titled “SHAREN!” this social cooperation activity aims to resolve common social issues through cooperation between three parties or more, under the slogan “Let’s take J.LEAGUE! for Society.”

Meanwhile, extremely severe rains and typhoons in recently years have led to the cancellation of J.LEAGUE matches and caused other problems, creating an environment in which one cannot help but feel a sense of crisis threatening the safe and secure operation of football itself that J.LEAGUE aims for, as well as the holding of matches that spectators can attend with peace of mind. Turning our attention to this fact, we established a new Sustainability Department in 2023 as we marked our 30th anniversary, with a view to taking ownership of the problem and further promoting climate action.

J.LEAGUE’s first climate action strategy is to lead a national movement. We will expand the movement that aims to initiate actions to put the brakes on climate change, which has significant impact on the Earth. The second strategy is for J.LEAGUE to support initiatives by clubs and local communities. In cooperation with clubs and local communities, we will create successful projects and good practices, and expand them horizontally.

J.LEAGUE will undertake climate change countermeasures along the two axes of “mitigation” and “adaptation.”

• (1) Mitigation: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and suppressing climate change as far as possible
• (2) Adaptation: Reducing the damage caused by climate change, which is unavoidable even with maximum mitigation efforts, in order to make it possible to have better lives
  Reference: Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform

Initiatives in 2023

Initiatives toward carbon neutrality

J.LEAGUE’s first initiative toward achieving carbon neutrality was to visualise the amount of CO2 emissions from stadiums in all official matches in the 2023 season.

CO2 emissions were calculated based on accounting data submitted with the cooperation of all 60 clubs. Depending on the stadium, there were also cases where it was difficult to obtain data only for the match day, so efforts had to be made to estimate emissions from the individual data obtained. The results of the computation showed that CO2 emissions from 1,200 matches were about 3,800 tons (as of the end of December 2023). Of that, approximately 70% was CO2 emissions from electricity. Through the FIT Non-fossil Certificates issued by Marubeni Power Retail Corporation, and Green Electricity Certificates issued by Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation and Japan Natural Energy Company Limited (all three companies are J.LEAGUE Climate Action Partners), we have switched from using electricity to renewable energy in real terms at official matches, thereby successfully achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

＜What is carbon neutrality?＞
Achieving equilibrium between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and absorbed.
Reference: Website of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan

Introduction of new “Climate Action Partner” programme

To implement activities toward a sustainable society with greater force, and hand-in-hand with corporations and organisations that resonate with the J.LEAGUE Climate Action, we introduced a new “Climate Action Partner” programme in 2023 as a new partner category that focuses on climate action.

“Climate Action Partner” Logo

Company	Initiatives
NTT Group	Using the NTT Group’s technology, the Group and J.LEAGUE have created a system that makes it easy for fans and supporters as well as citizens to participate in climate action and continue their involvement, with the aim of bringing about behavioural changes in people’s daily lives in relation to climate change countermeasures. “TH!NK THE BALL PROJECT” was launched in September 2023.
Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company	Under the “Forest to Weave the Future” initiative supported by Meiji Yasuda and J. LEAGUE, the partners are collaborating on forest conservation and restoration activities in forests in Kanagawa and Yamanashi Prefectures.
Marubeni Power Retail Corporation	With the provision of FIT Non-fossil Certificates (*) from Marubeni Power Retail Corporation, we have switched from using electricity at 600 of J.LEAGUE’s official matches held from February to June 2023, to using renewable energy in real terms, thereby achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. ※However, this excludes matches at stadiums that are already procuring renewable energy or electricity from renewable energy sources in real terms during the abovementioned period.
Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation	The Japan Natural Energy Company Limited, a company that issues Green Electricity Certificates (*), issues certificates for the added environmental value of electricity generated by wind power generation plants owned by Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation. By obtaining these certificates, J.LEAGUE has converted the electricity used in 600 official J.LEAGUE matches held from July to December 2023 to renewable energy in real terms, thereby achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. ※However, this excludes matches at stadiums that are already procuring renewable energy or electricity from renewable energy sources in real terms during the abovementioned period.
Japan Natural Energy Company Limited

TH!NK THE BALL PROJECT™

Using the technology of the NTT Group, the Group and J.LEAGUE create a system that makes it easy for fans and supporters as well as citizens to participate in climate action and continue their involvement, and work with J.Clubs to expand it to various regions. In this way, the project promotes behavioural changes in people’s daily lives in relation to environment, and brings about the realisation of regional revitalisation.
We aimed to develop and provide systems that make it easier for fans and supporters to participate in climate action, and launched a participatory trial for fans and supporters from September, attracting the participation of 2,280 fans and supporters.

The NTT Group is engaged in efforts to resolve various social issues toward the realisation of a sustainable society.
We started working with J.LEAGUE to address climate change issues from 2023, tackling the development of a mechanism in which many fans and supporters take ownership over climate change, and starting with what they can do, invite their friends to participate and produce greater effects.
A participatory trial for fans and supporters was launched from September 2023 in cooperation with J.Clubs in Sendai, Yokohama, and Kitakyushu. Many people participated in this trial. Applying lessons drawn from the experience, we aim to continue expanding the circle of friendship with even more clubs, fans and supporters, and stakeholders going forward.

Forest conservation activity: “Forest to Weave the Future” supported by Meiji Yasuda and J. LEAGUE

The first activity under the “Forest to Weave the Future” programme supported by Meiji Yasuda and J. LEAGUE was the implementation of forest experiences, such as forest management (thinning, pruning, bamboo forest management), nature observation, and crafting, in cooperation with staff from Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company.

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company
Sustainability Management & Development
Corporate Planning Department

Shinichi Kishi

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company, which has to date been working together with J.LEAGUE and J.Clubs to resolve social issues in various regions, signed the J.LEAGUE Climate Action Partner agreement in July 2023 in addition to the longstanding Title Partner agreement, out of a desire to partner together on environmental and climate issues as well. Based on this new agreement, we started collaborating on forest restoration and conservation efforts. Starting with forest conservation activities based on Kanagawa Prefecture’s Reforestation Partner System implemented in October, we aim to work with various stakeholders under the “Meiji Yasuda × J.LEAGUE Forest” partnership to expand the scope of activities, and to promote the management and restoration of forests that are loved by everyone in the local communities.