Japan Construction Sector CO2 Reduction

Japan’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 has significant implications for Japan’s construction industry – and provides important opportunities for U.S. exporters. Energy use at construction sites produces a staggering amount of CO2. Specifically, construction machinery produces 5.7 million tons of CO2.

Japan’s 2016 “Act on Improving the Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings” mandates that new construction must adhere to a set of eco-energy performance standards by 2025. To achieve carbon neutrality, the Japanese government wants every residential and commercial structure to be either a “Zero Energy House (ZEH)” or “Zero Energy structure (ZEB)” by 2050. To qualify as either a ZEH or ZEB, buildings must meet specific energy consumption performance standards – including meeting the standard for net zero energy consumption.  In order to meet this standard, construction companies must demonstrate that the total amount of energy used annually in building the ZEH or ZEB structures equals the amount of renewable energy produced on the property using renewable energy sources and technology like solar panels, heat pumps, and high-efficiency windows and insulation.

Under new Japanese rules  , construction companies are expected to use products that are “green” or low in CO2 emissions as well as those manufactured through low CO2 production techniques.  

In addition to complying with such CO2 regulatory requirements,   many Japanese building contractors also set their own CO2 targets – which may be more stringent than national standards  . The contractors use measurement and assessment tools to determine how much CO2 they produce during the construction process and across the supply chain – from planning and building through operation and deconstruction. The contractors also create their own products or systems to help meet low-energy usage requirements. For example, one company in Japan created concrete that absorbs   CO2 by substituting a special substance for cement during the hardening process. Another company expects to reduce its construction processes’ CO2 emissions by 49% by reusing steel frames and other concrete structural materials for new buildings.

Commercial Service Japan encourages U.S. companies offering technologies enabling CO2 reduction in all phases of construction – from materials to buildings to operating systems – to actively explore opportunities to partner with Japanese companies. For more information, please contact the U.S. Commercial Service at Office.Tokyo@trade.gov.