WG1: Expert Workshop on Voluntary Approaches for Increasing Energy Efficiency in Industry

On 28 July, an online workshop on voluntary measures for increasing energy efficiency in industry was conducted under the roof of Working Group 1 of the Japanese-German Energy Partnership. In the format organized by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (AHK Japan) and adelphi, roughly 60 participants from both countries could profit from various expert inputs from politics, research and companies and engaged actively in the ensuing discussion. The event successfully shed light on the respective industry approaches to energy efficiency and political measures supporting companies in the implementation. While the successes of existing initiatives and networks were made visible, it was also a recurring theme during the workshop that further efforts were needed in order to reach efficiency and decarbonization goals. Intensified international cooperation on the company level would benefit stakeholders on both sides and complement political cooperation.

We would especially like to thank the speakers Anton Hufnagl (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action), Shintaro Tabuchi (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), Masami Hasegawa (Keidanren), Hartmut Kämper (BDEW Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft e.V.), Dr.-Ing. Akamitl Quezada (Initiative Energieeffizienz- und Klimaschutznetzwerke), Beyza Adak (adelphi), Tohru Shimizu (Institute of Energy Economics, Japan - IEEJ), Tomoya Onuki (Shiseido), and Dr. Manuel Unger (Freudenberg Group).