INTERVIEW: Firms' Environmental Drive Unshaken by U.S. Policy Shift

   Tokyo, April 25 (Jiji Press)--Corporations remain committed to tackling environmental challenges despite setbacks such as U.S. President Donald Trump's reversal of climate-related policies and other global issues, Wai-Chan Chan, head of a global organization of businesses addressing social problems, said in a recent interview.
   Chan, managing director of the Paris-based Consumer Goods Forum, told Jiji Press on Thursday that member companies including those in Japan have not dialed back their efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions and other key goals of the group, saying they "still believe it's the right thing to do."
   The Trump administration has taken steps that run counter to environmental efforts, reversing regulations aimed at limiting emissions and ordering the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, an international framework to fight climate change. It has a track record of prompting companies to fall in line with the president's positions on social issues, with many businesses deciding to curb their diversity, equity and inclusion policies after Trump ordered the scrapping of such programs at the government level.
   Chan suggested that companies are less willing to publicize their activities, saying, "Is (environmental action) something that you need to do in a public manner? Maybe not."
   But he noted that this had a limited impact on the CGF's activities, which are mostly conducted through collaboration between businesses and do not require outreach to consumers. "We're not an organization that spends a lot of time externally publicizing," he said. "We prefer to do, rather than talk."

(2025/04/25-14:00)