In this edition of Green Japan, Euronews reporter Damon Embling visits the Château Mercian Mariko vineyard and winery to find out how it’s building a nature-positive business.
The vineyard, located near Ueda in central Japan, transformed a deserted mulberry field. The winery’s manager tells Damon how grassland and plants have returned, creating natural habitats for insects, including some endangered species.
Damon also discovers how the business adopts a circular approach, through composting remains from grape pressing and turning pruned vine branches into a type of charcoal called “biochar”.
The vineyard and winery’s owner, Kirin Holdings Company, was one of 80 early adopters in Japan of a global framework launched by the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).
It encourages businesses everywhere to assess, report and act on nature-related risks and impacts. The overall aim is to produce more data for companies and investors, to help shift global capital into more positive outcomes for nature.
A Kirin environmental specialist highlights the importance of water and nature capital to the vineyard and winery business, as part of the company’s TNFD commitment.
In Tokyo, Damon also hears from a TNFD taskforce member about how global companies should support other businesses in exploring nature-positive avenues. While a Tokyo professor emphasises how creating business opportunities to protect nature is key to shifting the global economic system.
