Press Release

NX Group invests in CO2 emissions visualization cloud service provider Asuene

June 14, 2024

--Seeks to accelerate global efforts to realize decarbonized societies--

NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC. (President: Satoshi Horikiri), on May 29 acquired via the NX Global Innovation Fund a stake in, and concluded a capital and business alliance agreement with, Asuene Inc. (President: Kohei Nishiwada; hereinafter, "Asuene"), which provides a cloud service to visualize CO2 emissions.

■ Profile of Asuene
Asuene is a start-up company that supports corporate sustainability management and works to create decarbonized societies with the mission of "creating a better world for the next generation". The company operates and provides services in the climate tech domain, among these being ASUENE, a cloud service for visualizing, reducing and reporting CO2 emissions, ASUENE ESG, an ESG evaluation cloud service, and CARBON EX, a carbon credit/emission rights trading exchange. ASUENE is currently used by more than 6,000 companies and municipalities, and Asuene is expanding its business across Japan and Asia.

■ Investment background and objectives
　As moves to disclose climate change-related information for the sake of achieving decarbonized societies pick up speed, companies are under pressure to measure and reduce CO2 emissions not only in their own operations but also throughout their supply chains. The NX Group's long-term vision is to become a "logistics company with a strong presence in the global market" by 2037, the 100th anniversary of its founding, and the "NX Group Business Plan 2028: Dynamic Growth 2.0 - 'Accelerating Sustainable Growth'" has been formulated to achieve this vision. Seeking to enhance its corporate value via sustainable growth and co-creation with its stakeholders, the Group has identified the integration of sustainability and management as one of its core strategies.
By investing in the CO2 emissions visualization cloud service provider Asuene, the NX Group will be stepping up its efforts to cut CO2 emissions globally and to develop services to support customers' sustainability management, thereby helping bring about decarbonized societies.

■ Specific initiatives

• Reducing the NX Group's CO2 emissions
  The NX Group has positioned "tackling climate change" as one of its material issues and has set out a goal of reducing the entire NX Group's CO2 emissions by 50% from 2013 levels no later than 2030. By utilizing ASUENE, the Group will be able to visualize its own CO2 emissions and more effectively plan and implement measures to reduce CO2 emissions.
• Supporting customers in reducing CO2 emissions throughout their supply chains
  The Group is considering linking the ASUENE platform to EcoTrans Navi, a CO2 emissions calculation tool provided by the NX Group. This will enable companies using ASUENE to calculate CO2 emissions not only in their manufacturing processes but also in their logistics in greater detail. In addition, the Group willbe studying the feasibility of offering its own logistics decarbonization solutions (NX-GREEN SAF Program(*1), Sea & Rail(*2), NX Railway Consolidation Service(*3), Eco-friendly Temperature-controlled Containers(*4), etc.) through the ASUENE Store, a marketplace for CO2 emission reduction. The Group will thus strive to support its customers' sustainability management by reducing CO2 emissions throughout their supply chains.
• Developing new products
  The Group will be jointly developing and deploying new functions and services other than the above to support its customers' sustainability management - e.g., carbon offsetting through the use of carbon credits and emissions trading exchanges - to realize decarbonized societies.

The NX Group will continue leveraging its domestic and international networks to co-create with promising start-ups.

*1: An air transport service that enables customers to reduce CO2 emissions in their supply chains by purchasing environmental value derived from sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from waste cooking oil, plants, waste wood, etc.
*2: A multi-modal transport service combining ocean and rail transport
*3: A low-carbon rail transport service available for small- and large-lot shipments
*4: A service combining international air transport with reusable, passive (non-powered) temperature-controlled containers offering robust temperature-control performance

■　Profile of investee

Company name	Asuene Inc.
Head office	WeWork 4F, KDX Toranomon 1-chome Building, Toranomon 1-10-5,
location	Minato-ku, Tokyo
Year established	2019
Representative	Kohei Nishiwada
Number of employees	219 (as of February 2024)
Description of business	Provision of ASUENE, a cloud service for visualizing, reducing, and reporting CO2 emissions; ASUENE ESG, an ESG assessment cloud service; and CARBON EX, a carbon credit and emission rights exchange
Website	https://corp.earthene.com/