On May 29, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism decided at the 51st "Eco-Rail Mark Management and Review Committee" (chaired by Professor Emeritus Hirohito Kuse of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology) to newly certify one company as an Eco-Rail Mark participating company and two companies as sponsoring companies.
Ecorail mark
Toho is the only company currently participating in the new Eco-Rail Mark program. Tochinan Transport and Hiroshima Transport are the two companies supporting the new Eco-Rail Mark program.
The Eco-Rail Mark system certifies products or companies that utilize environmentally friendly freight rail transport to a certain extent, and provides consumers with a basis for judgment by displaying the mark.
The aim is to raise consumer awareness of companies' contributions to global environmental issues throughout the distribution process through products bearing the "Eco-Rail Mark," and to promote the modal shift of companies to rail freight transport.
Companies participating in the Eco-Rail Mark program must meet the following criteria: "Use rail for 15% or more of their land freight transport over 500km," or "Use rail for transporting over 15,000 tons per year in terms of quantity, or over 15 million ton-kilometers per year as the product of quantity and distance."
Sponsoring companies include "companies involved in the transportation and distribution of Eco-Rail Mark certified products or companies participating in the program, and other companies that the Eco-Rail Mark Management and Review Committee deems appropriate in light of the purpose of the program."
With this latest certification, the number of certified products has reached 169 (148 items), the number of certified companies has reached 96, and the number of sponsoring companies has reached 69.
