The Dentsu Group Participates in an Experimental Sustainable Food Resource Program to Promote the Construction of a New Community-Based Social Economy

— “eco-wa-ring Kawasaki” Uses Web3.0 Technology—

Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004; President & CEO: Toshihiro Yamamoto; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 74,609.81 million yen; hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) announced today that it will participate as a technology partner and provide an information distribution infrastructure using Web3.0^*1 technology and blockchain technology owned by SIVIRA Inc.^*2 (scheduled implementation period: June to December 2021) to “eco-wa-ring Kawasaki”^*3. The joint initiative between Kawasaki City and three companies promotes food resource recycling while conducting exploratory programs with the aim to build a new community-based social economy.
The project creates a food cycle in which each household makes compost using a food waste disposer which is then shared with local farms in the city that grow vegetables. Each member of the community is encouraged to participate in the voluntary scheme where local resident, farms, companies and local governments work together to reduce waste, recycle resources and reduce CO2. The program also aims to revitalize local communities and urban development. It is an initiative that contributes to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Dentsu Group is currently pursuing business that creates sustainable value, bringing lasting benefits to all. In the sustainability field, in addition to its quantitative targets^*4, dentsu has launched dentsu Sustainable Business Solutions (dSBS), a commercial strategy as the core of the Group’s business strategy. dSBS will support business growth while integrating sustainability across campaigns. Dentsu’s strength in integrated communication is based on a deep understanding of consumers and society, creativity, and an ecosystem of co-creation with clients and partners. Moving forward, the Group is incorporating this dSBS perspective into all of its businesses across Dentsu Japan Network and Dentsu International.
As R&D activities to further expand the above activities, as technical partners of eco-wa-ring Kawasaki the Dentsu Group and SIVIRA will verify the following two possibilities across the demonstration experiments.

1. Creation of an urban food recycling / food resource recycling model

• Effects of providing various incentives, other than monetary, based on contribution performance.
• Possibility of forming and revitalizing local communities combined with official partners who have a high degree of engagement.

2. Web3.0 technology that balances personal information protection and convenience for participants

• The effectiveness of the “WebAuthn (FIDO2)” passwordless online authentication standard that meets the challenge of the tightening of regulations such as Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the handling of personal information. The aim will be the convenience in authenticating a person without acquiring personal information such as an email address, and the security of the “Verifiable Credentials” digital identity certification standard that allows people to receive incentives (privileges) according to their eco-activity records (contribution achievements).

Moreover, the Company will also verify technical availability and the effectiveness of measures to connect participants with each collaboration partner in Kawasaki City.

*1 Web3.0, which is called the internet of value, builds an identity centered on digital assets in accordance with the self-sovereign identity (SSI) concept of managing access rights and ownership of data in a self-sovereign manner.

*2 A company that researches and develops blockchain technology and Web3.0-related technology in the non-financial field. It provides ID as a Service “dAuth” to support corporate Web3.0 interaction, such as the research and development of a decentralized infrastructure protocol that uses digital assets on the blockchain as components and the construction of the self-sovereign digital identities that utilize it.
https://sivira.co/

*3 A project jointly promoted by Kawasaki City, Dentsu Inc., Local Food Cycling Co., Ltd., and TRUSTRIDGE, Inc. to create a nutrient cycling community by promoting local self-propelled food recycling. The aim is to create a food cycle in which each household makes compost using a food waste disposer (such as a composting container) which is then used at farms in the city to grow safe and secure vegetables for eating. There is a self-supporting food cycle that revolves around cooperating companies and facilities, and a mutual assistance food cycle that revolves around local farms. local resident, farms, companies and local governments work together to reduce waste, recycle resources and reduce CO2, and this is also connected to the revitalization of local communities and urban development. It is an initiative that contributes to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
https://eleminist.com/lp/eco-wa-ring-kawasaki (Japanese language only)
(This project was adopted into the Ministry of the Environment’s “2021 Food Loss Reduction / Recycling Promotion Model Project by Local Governments, Businesses, and Other Entities” and will be carried out.)

*4 Dentsu Group sustainability-related numerical targets (deadline: 2030)

• Procure 100% renewable energy (already achieved in its international operations)
• Reduce CO2 emissions by 46% (absolute value)
• Achieve virtually zero CO2 emissions (net zero emissions)
• Work with client companies and partners to help one billion people around the world make more sustainable choices than they do today

In the Dentsu Group, Dentsu Innovation Initiative, DJN Sustainability Promotion Office and Dentsu Team SDGs are organically collaborating across the Group to promote various projects in the sustainability field.

Contacts:

For media inquiries
Shusaku Kannan
Executive Director
Group Corporate Communications Office
Dentsu Group Inc.
E-mail: s.kannan@dentsu.co.jp

For R&D inquiries
Junichi Suzuki, Yutaka Tsubota
Dentsu Innovation Initiative
Dentsu Group Inc.
E-mail: innovation-initiative@dentsu.co.jp