Tokyu Agency SDG Planning Unit "POZI Conducted "Survey of Businesspersons on SDG Implementation and Communication Capabilities

Tokyu Agency Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Toshiyuki Kosaka) is committed to co-creating value throughout the entire value chain for its customers.

POZI, an SDG planning unit that aims to achieve the SDGs through the power of communication and provides sustainability-themed solutions, conducted the "Survey of Businesspeople's Ability to Implement and Communicate the SDGs" (hereafter, the "Survey") to find out the latest SDG implementation and communication skills of Japanese companies and businesspeople. POZI conducted the "Businesspersons' Survey on SDG Implementation Capability and Communication Capability" (hereinafter referred to as the "Survey") to analyze the latest trends and challenges in SDG initiatives among Japanese companies and businesspersons. This survey is the basis for the "SDGs Positioning Diagnostic," an original tool developed by POZI that focuses on the SDGs, and is the third time the survey has been conducted, following the 2021 and 2022 surveys.

In order to enhance value co-creation with our customers in the sustainability field, our SDGs planning unit "POZI" is working closely with customers' needs and making planning proposals related to the SDGs with a variety of partners.

POZI" will explain the latest SDG trends from this survey. We have also reflected the latest data in our original tool "SDGs Positioning Diagnostic" which provides hints and triggers for issues from a positioning perspective. We will provide useful information and propose measures for customers who have challenges in promoting the SDGs in their companies.

Download the document here: https://pozi.jp/project/1237

SDGs Positioning Diagnostic https://pozi.jp/project/763

POZI https://pozi.jp/

Third Annual Businessperson Survey on SDG Implementation and Communication Capabilities

-Explaining the latest SDG trends in business~.

We conducted an Internet survey of male and female company employees and company executives in their 20s or older living in Japan. The survey provides an understanding of the latest SDG initiatives among Japanese companies and businesspersons, and clarifies issues that need to be addressed in order to promote future initiatives.

POZI will explain the key points and trends that emerged from the survey.

Survey Summary

The recognition rate of the SDGs remains at approximately 90%. However, the level of understanding remains a challenge.

90% of respondents are aware of the SDGs. The SDGs are fully established among Japanese businesspersons.

On the other hand, only 14% of respondents "know the contents of the SDGs," indicating a significant gap between recognition and understanding.

SDG recognition rate

Compared to 2022, the establishment of a company-wide system is stagnant. Signs of a retreat in the development of systems at the individual brand and business level.

The gap between SDG/sustainability promotion departments and managers and frontline employees may be widening, and internal penetration of sustainability measures remains a major issue.

Status of SDG System Development

The self-evaluation of SDGs and sustainability initiatives tends to be opposite for those in charge of company-wide initiatives and for general employees in the field.

While those in charge of company-wide initiatives increased their self-evaluations of "sufficient implementation" of "environmental issues" and "governance," those in charge of general employees increased their self-evaluations of "insufficient implementation. Despite the differences in the target groups, the gap in awareness between those in charge of the company-wide response and general employees on the frontlines is widening.

Self-evaluation of SDG Sustainability Initiatives

The tendency for information dissemination on SDGs and sustainability initiatives is also reversed between those in charge of company-wide response and general employees on the frontlines.

In terms of information dissemination, the number of respondents who answered that they are "implementing" information dissemination to various stakeholders such as "employees" and "business partners" increased among those in charge of company-wide initiatives, while the number of those who answered that they are "beginning to plan or consider" decreased. The number of respondents who answered "have started to plan or consider" decreased. In addition to self-evaluation of initiatives, the gap between those in charge and those in charge of company-wide initiatives and general employees in the field has become increasingly serious in terms of information dissemination.

Status of Information Dissemination on SDG Sustainability Initiatives

＜POZI's view of the future issues revealed by the survey > > What are the future challenges as seen from the POZI survey?

In recent years, the necessity and importance of promoting business SX (Sustainability Transformation) by advancing responses to the SDGs and sustainability has been shared quite widely among corporate management and those in charge of sustainability. On the other hand, it has long been pointed out that it is difficult to extend such awareness to employees in the field in general, and to spread SDGs and SX compliance throughout the entire company. The survey highlighted the fact that these issues remain unresolved to this day.

What is particularly noteworthy is that while those in charge of sustainability promotion and those in charge are increasingly aware that they are "doing enough" to address environmental issues and governance, an increasing number of frontline employees are responding that they are "not doing enough" or that they "don't know. Even if those in charge and those in charge are proud of the initiatives they are "doing enough," it may be necessary to reconfirm whether these initiatives are really spreading to frontline employees and whether they are linked to responses at the frontline.

At first glance, the growing perception among general employees in the field that their own efforts to address sustainability issues are "insufficient" may seem like a pinch. However, we suspect that this is probably due to the fact that the level of knowledge and awareness of sustainability issues among general employees is increasing, even if only gradually. In other words, the current situation, in which people are aware that there is a lack of initiatives, is also an opportunity. As social conditions in the area of sustainability continue to change dramatically, it is imperative that we reconsider the promotion of sustainability from a firm footing within the company, with an eye on the mid- to long-term, including the post-2030/post-SDGs period, which is now under discussion.

POZI, Tokyu Agency's SDGs planning unit, has long recognized the importance of internal "people development" in promoting sustainability, and has provided services to support seamless sustainability branding from the inner to the outer We have been providing services to support seamless sustainability branding from inner to outer. Our original tools, such as the "SDGs Positioning Diagnosis," whose contents are partially revised in this survey, and "V-WAYSTM for SDGs," a workshop method for branding arranged for the sustainability domain, are representative of our services. We will continue to support our clients in promoting their sustainability initiatives and realizing SX by leveraging our accumulated knowledge and skills.

Kiyokazu Ikegami

About the SDGs Positioning Assessment

By answering a simple questionnaire that takes about 10 minutes to complete, we classify the current status of your brand, business, or company into the following five "types. For each "type," we will propose the future response to the SDGs and the key points for developing SDG communication.

Five types of classification

The results are plotted on a map based on the two axes of "ability to respond to the SDGs (ability to implement)" and "ability to communicate on the SDGs," allowing respondents to understand their position in comparison to the results of the domestic businesspersons' responses collected in this survey.

Map based on the two axes of "ability to respond to the SDGs (ability to implement)" and "ability to communicate response to the SDGs

Preliminary Survey

The survey was conducted among company managers, executives, and employees, both male and female, in their 20s to 60s, residing in Japan.

Analysis of 397 responses excluding "0" responses for both "ability to execute" and "ability to communicate" from 521 responses to the same questionnaire as our "diagnostic" survey.

The survey was conducted from January to February 2025.

We can also propose an optional service (at an additional cost) to conduct more detailed analysis and evaluation to gain a more detailed understanding of current issues and points to be strengthened in the future.

About V-WAYSTM for SDGs

V-WAYSTM for SDGs" is a workshop method for corporate sustainability promotion strategies developed based on our original workshop method "V-WAYSTM" to strengthen and facilitate branding activities. By deepening the discussion along our original framework, we will narrow down the direction and specific themes of sustainability promotion, and motivate the participants to develop "sustainability leaders" who can motivate the employees around them.

V-WAYS

~About the SDGs Planning Unit "POZI

https://pozi.jp/

SDG Planning Unit "POZI