We have had a long favorable period in which consumers have not needed to consider the problem of natural resources. However, from now on, I would like companies to tell consumers properly where things come from. I think companies have a responsibility going forward to tell consumers: “resources are finite,” “extracting them causes problems such as environmental destruction,” “a lot of effort is needed to secure natural resources,” and “therefore let's use them carefully.”

Recently there has been a marked increase in bioethanol projects that use wood. However, making ethanol from wood resources is very difficult. We have to establish a system that uses wood according to its quality and usage. Until now, we thought that forests were a plentiful natural resource and forecast the future of forest resources comparatively optimistically. If forest resources also have to meet energy demand in the future, then we will not have sufficient forest resources. Looking ahead, Japan's forest industry needs revitalizing, and we have to deal with the large issue of how to make Japan's forestry management sustainable.

Since we have been driven only by how much it costs, we might be “penny-wise and pound-foolish” on a global scale. Apart from humans, all animals on the planet live within the limits of the resources nature gives them. Only humans place a burden on the environment through lifestyles that involve buying products and using services. I think prices must reflect the burden that we place on the environment in our pursuit of convenience. And I also think consumers must carefully consider this.

With the development of a material society, we have tended to overvalue wealth and convenience. As a result, environmental destruction has become more serious in areas furthest upstream due to the development of natural resources. The fundamental cause of this is that the value of nature is not incorporated into market mechanisms. A consensus is rapidly building that we must not regard natural resources and the environment as concepts below the economy, as we did in the 20th century. Incorporating the value of nature into market mechanisms is becoming a worldwide trend in environmental economics.

Through this stakeholder dialogue, themed on “Considering Upstream Issues in the Cornerstone Businesses Comprising Society,” we gained multifaceted insights from various experts regarding the type of issues that general trading companies face. The discussion generated thought-provoking proposals, particularly with respect to companies' responsibility to ensure that consumers receive accurate information about the environmental cost of processes needed to secure natural resources. Also, the discussion reconfirmed to us the finite nature of natural resources and the importance of using them effectively. Based on today's dialogue, we will consider how to balance economic growth and issues related to natural resources and the environment, think about the roles and functions that we as a general trading company should perform to achieve this goal, and reflect our conclusions in business activities.