Spotlight on The CGF Japan: Driving Change Through Collaboration, Consumer Engagement and Local Innovation

Food Waste: From Policy Success to Consumer Action

Japan has met its 50% food waste reduction target for households, while the government has increased ambition to 60% for the business sector. Achieving further progress will now depend on accelerated action at the consumer level.

The CGF Japan’s Food Waste team works closely with the Consumer Affairs Agency and the Ministry of the Environment to align approaches and share best practices. With limited landfill capacity and high rates of incineration, scalable solutions are urgently needed.

Priorities now include putting a tangible value on food waste, engaging young people, and adapting approaches as behaviours and external conditions evolve.

Insights from Co-op Japan highlighted the importance of sustained communication with residents, practical tools such as guidebooks and apps, eco-designed products, and long-term government engagement, particularly through schools, to drive lasting behaviour change.

Japan also called for greater global knowledge sharing on behaviour change and upcycling, stronger links between The CGF coalitions, and clarity on CGF guidance expected in Q2 2026.

Health and Wellbeing: Turning Data into Action

Japan’s mandatory employee health checks provide a strong foundation for wellbeing initiatives, supported by a wellbeing index that helps companies tailor programmes to real needs.

Working with Deloitte, the local group identified mental health as a key priority and plans to share the status of each company’s initiatives using data and metrics. Furthermore, by demonstrating the effectiveness of these efforts and exploring simpler measurement methods, they intend to explore ways to mitigate corporate risks arising from presenteeism and enhance labor productivity through mental health prevention and early detection.

Climate Transition: From Vision to Local Action

Climate discussions combined global ambition with local realities. Grant Sprick, Global Co-Chair and Ahold Delhaize representative, shared his company’s 2026 vision and the role of CGF’s Climate Coalition of Action, particularly in addressing Scope 3 challenges.

Japan’s local group highlighted the impacts of climate change on crop yields and strong momentum around regenerative agriculture. In collaboration with the government, work is underway on methodologies, measurement and local pilots, with a view to shaping approaches towards 2030.

A new decarbonisation platform, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), aims to align standards, visualise emissions challenges and unlock collective reductions across the value chain.

Retailers as Catalysts for Behaviour Change

Retailers are playing a key role in driving consumer behaviour change in the climate transition journey. Community-based pilots, including household composting initiatives, showed strong engagement, with 97% of participants keen to drive impact locally. Children consistently emerged as powerful catalysts for change within families.

Japanese retailer, H20 Retailing, is also testing green products, climate messaging and social norming approaches, supported by education through schools. These efforts are being brought together under the “Decarbonized Actions Created with Consumers” Working Group, which aims to position decarbonisation as a positive choice rather than a sacrifice, with plans to scale from 2026 onwards.

Looking Ahead

The visit reinforced the importance of long-term commitment, consumer engagement and cross-sector collaboration. Japan’s experience offers valuable lessons for the wider CGF network, showing how local innovation can inform and accelerate global action.

As we look ahead, many of these topics will take centre stage at the upcoming Japan Day 2026, where CGF members and partners will come together to further explore how collaboration, innovation and consumer engagement can accelerate progress on food waste, climate action and beyond.