Abstract
With the aim of achieving a carbon-neutral society by 2050 and in response to the Paris Agreement, Japan has raised its targets for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and declared that it will limit its total emissions to approximately 760 million tonnes by 2030. The materials industry, which accounts for about 20% of Japan’s GHG emissions, is finding difficulties in decarbonising its production processes with the introduction of renewable electric energy. In recent years, much attention has focused on material efficiency strategies and material budget strategies, which aim to reduce GHG emissions while reducing material production itself. Extensive efficiency improvements in material consumption have the potential for high emission reductions, but some estimates suggest that the material consumption required to meet the 2°C climate target is conditional on cutting the current level in half. On the other hand, the demand for critical metals is expected to increase due to the spread of decarbonisation technologies, such as electric vehicles, which could mean that addressing the duality of innovative reduction and stable increase in material use will bring us closer to achieving a carbon-neutral society.
