Tokyo, Japan, January 25, 2022 _ On the occasion of its 110th corporate anniversary, the JTB Group is ramping up efforts to bring greater sustainability to its management, operations, and value chain as part of a deliberate focus on environmental, cultural, social, and economic sustainability.

 

 JTB Group recognizes the criticality of sustainability policies and practices in the achievement of its Group mission of ‘bringing people, places and possibilities together’ amidst the backdrop of a rapidly evolving industry landscape. JTB is working steadily to align its business activities with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in order to ensure the long-range health and viability of the organization and the global travel and tourism industry as a whole. 

 

 To this end, JTB has established a Sustainability Committee tasked with coordinating enterprise-wide sustainability initiatives and monitoring sustainability performance under JTB’s Sustainability Strategy and three materiality-guided sustainable priorities (see below). Leveraging its diverse stakeholder relationships, extensive market reach and century-plus-long industry track record, JTB is expanding its collaboration with consumers, business partners, local communities, and policymakers to facilitate the ongoing delivery of products, services and solutions that matter, engage and inspire. Through enhanced management and operational sustainability, JTB seeks to maximize the positive impacts of its business while minimizing the adverse impacts associated with travel and tourism activity.

Overview of JTB’s Sustainability Strategy

 

Guiding Principles

(1)  Our day-to-day decisions are guided by a commitment to sustainability and the courage to take responsible action

(2)  Our materiality-guided sustainability priorities are a vehicle for delivering real value to customers and stakeholders

(3)  We pursue solutions that maximize the positive impacts of our operations and minimize the negative

(4)  We continuously improve our sustainability efforts through stakeholder dialogue and transparency

 

Strategic Sustainability Priorities (Materiality)

 Using the 17 SDGs and 169 associated targets as a framework for analysis, the JTB Group has formulated three materiality-guided sustainability priorities based on a thorough assessment of the issues most relevant to our business and the needs and concerns of our stakeholders:

 

(1) Enriching the Human Experience

 JTB is committed to enriching the human experience particularly along the dimensions of leisure/recreation, job satisfaction, learning, and diversity/inclusion. Through our policies and offerings, we support our colleagues, customers, and stakeholders in the pursuit of their fullest potential across all facets of their lives … from the everyday to the extraordinary.

(2) Nurturing our Surroundings

In carrying out its mission of bringing people, places and possibilities together, JTB is committed to providing its customers with opportunities to expand their horizons, deepen their experience, and contribute to the preservation of the world’s precious environmental and cultural heritage.

(3) Engaged Partnering

By building bridges of collaboration with and between our various stakeholders, we harness our vast domestic and global market reach to deliver solutions that matter, engage and inspire.

Spotlight on Specific JTB Initiatives

 

 JTB is committed to the practice of Responsible Business, Responsible Tourism, and Responsible Value Chains. We recognize that tourism can fulfill its highest socioeconomic potential only when stakeholders face and address the adverse environmental and community impacts generated by industry activity. JTB’s Sustainability Committee is tasked with coordinating and monitoring group-wide sustainability efforts and ensuring that stakeholders are kept informed through ongoing dialogue and transparency.

 

(1) Ongoing Efforts to Reduce our Environmental Footprint

 

１．Partnering with Local Communities through the JTB Brighter Earth Project

 The JTB Brighter Earth Project brings JTB customers, colleagues and local residents together in a wide range of initiatives aimed at creating sustainable, vibrant communities. Through the JTB Brighter Earth Project, the JTB Group supports community-rooted environmental clean-up and conservation efforts, cultural preservation, and responsible learning experiences. More than 130,000 people have participated in the JTB Brighter Earth Project worldwide since its inception in 1985.

 

２．Reducing CO2 Emissions

 The JTB Group continues to pioneer innovative, environmentally-friendly solutions designed to provide customers with an expanded array of sustainability options.

 

- CO2 Zero Travel_ 

 An inspired combination of carbon-offset travel products and sustainability learning modules aimed at promoting SDG awareness and engagement.

 

- CO2 Zero MICE 

 An innovative service offering businesses and groups the ability to host Net Zero Carbon events and conferences by powering their venues with renewable energy sources in place of conventional electricity.

 

(2) Reducing the Industry’s Environmental Footprint

 

１．Minimizing Emissions Across the Value Chain

 In its quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the JTB Group is going far beyond paperless operations, e-contracts and digitized transaction recordkeeping. JTB Corp. seeks to quantify its emissions profile by the end of FY2021 and establish forward-looking reduction targets for the entire JTB Group by the end of FY2022 across Scopes 1, 2 and 3*.

*Scope 1:  Direct emissions generated by company-owned and company-controlled resources
Scope 2:  Indirect emissions generated by purchased utilities (electricity, steam, heat/cooling)
Scope 3:  All indirect emissions not included in Scope 2 (i.e. all upstream and downstream emissions in the value chain)

 

２．Global Partnering and Alignment

 In December 2021, JTB President and CEO Eijiro Yamakita was elected to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Board of Affiliate Members representing the East Asia/Pacific Region. Through stepped-up engagement with UNWTO and other international bodies, the JTB Group seeks to strengthen its alignment with global standards in the advancement of sustainability efforts in Japan’s tourism industry and beyond.

 

(3) Transparency and Disclosure

 JTB’s corporate website has been revamped to provide stakeholders with a clearer picture of our sustainability strategy, priorities, and initiatives as part of our commitment to stakeholder engagement, dialogue, transparency and reporting.

 

JTB Sustainability on the Web:  https://www.jtbcorp.jp/en/sustainability/

 The JTB Group is committed to ‘fostering peace and global interconnectedness through the creation of opportunities for meaningful human interaction’ and the responsible and sustainable delivery of excitement, wonder, results and real value to its customers around the world in alignment with the Group’s mission, vision and values. 

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<About JTB>

Today's JTB traces its roots back to Japan Tourist Bureau, an agency formed in 1912 to service the ticketing needs of foreign visitors in Japan. Over a course of more than a century, JTB has evolved into a travel and tourism industry leader in Japan and beyond. Through vision, integrity, innovation, and unsurpassed industry know-how, and an abiding commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism, the JTB Group consistently delivers unparalleled value to its customers and stakeholders around the world.

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* Unless otherwise noted, CO2 Zero Travel_, JTB Brighter Earth Project, and all relevant logos, trademarks and service marks are the sole and exclusive property of JTB Corp.