JPRSI Online Pavilion

The Green Management Certification System is a certification system for transport operators (trucks, buses, taxis, passenger ship, coastal shipping, port transport, and warehouse) that are committed to environmental conservation.
The system, with the Eco-Mo Foundation as its certifying body, certifies and register transport operators whose environmental activities meet or exceed levels defined in the Green Management Promotion Manual*.

This certification system is designed to improve the motivation of operators by objectively certifying and publicizing their efforts to improve the environment based on the Green Management Promotion Manual. In addition, this system is designed to gain the understanding and cooperation of society and users of certified businesses, and to help reduce the environmental impact of the transportation industry.

The system was launched for the truck industry in October 2003, for the bus and taxi industry in April 2004, and for the passenger ship, coastal shipping, port transport, and warehouse companies in July 2005. By the end of 2023, the number of certified and registered operators reached 3,133 at 6,203 business sites. The Eco-Mo Foundation announces these operators as “environmentally friendly transport operators” on its website, and also makes a monthly press release on the new registrations to newspapers. In addition, the number of vehicles owned by certified and registered operators of trucks, buses and cabs accounts for 10.2% to 14.7% of the total number of vehicles owned by operators nationwide in Japan.

To quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of reducing environmental burdens through the Green Management Certification system, a study was conducted to examine specific effects resulting from certification acquisition. It was found that not only fuel efficiency improvements were observed after certification acquisition but also secondary effects such as reduction in the number of traffic accidents and an improvement in workplace morale were identified.

1.Improvement in fuel efficiency and reduction in the number of traffic accidents and vehicle breakdowns among truck, bus, and taxi operators
Two years after obtaining the certification, the average fuel efficiency of truck, bus, and taxi operators showed improvements compared to that at the time of certification. For trucks with a total vehicle weight of over 8 tons, there was a 3.1% improvement, and for those under 8 tons, a 3.1% improvement. Buses showed a 2.5% improvement, whereas taxis showed a 1.6% increase. Furthermore, in the first year after certification, the number of traffic accidents per distance traveled decreased by 25.9% for trucks, 20.5% for buses, and 7.0% for taxis compared to the previous year. Additionally, the number of vehicle breakdowns per distance traveled decreased by 20.9% for trucks, 4.0% for buses, and 15.9% for taxis compared to the previous year.

2.Improvement in CO2 emissions from warehouse, port transport, passenger ships, and inland shipping operators
In warehouse and port transport businesses, the CO2 emission intensity improved by 3.6% for regular warehouses and 3.3% for refrigerated warehouses after two years of certification. For port transport, there was a 5.9% improvement per ton handled and a 11.0% improvement per container handled.
For passenger ships and inland shipping operators, the CO2 emission intensity improved by 3.3% for passenger ships, 4.4% for inland shipping, and 1.3% for tugboats after two years of certification.

3.Other secondary effects
Furthermore, it was found that certified businesses experienced various benefits such as “improvement in workplace morale and motivation,” “enhanced customer feedback,” “reduction in traffic accidents,” and “development of leadership talent.”

• Green Management

• Japan

• Transport and Environment in Japan

• 7. Affordable and Clean Energy
• 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
• 13. Climate Action