The Japan SDGs Award was established in June 2017 at the Third SDGs Promotion Headquarters meeting. It aims to promote a wide range of actions contributing to sustainable development, and hence, to the achievement of the SDGs. It awards companies, organisations, local governments and NGOs/NPOs making significant efforts on sustainable development. The award winners are selected by a selection committee consisting of SDG experts.
The SDGs Promotion Headquarters was established by the Government of Japan in May 2016 after the adoption of SDGs by the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. It seeks to take the lead in the implementation of the SDGs both domestically and internationally.
The 5th Japan SDGs Award Winners featured Japanese biotech firm Euglena, with the company being awarded the highest accolade, the 2021 SDGs Chief’s Award given by the Prime Minister. The company uses a type of green algae to produce food and fuel with low environmental impact and has been helping poor children in Bangladesh and Rohingya refugees since 2014, by donating cookies made of nutritious euglena algae. Furthermore, it changed its business purpose to “the realization of a sustainable society”, serving as an example of a ground-breaking initiative contributing to the SDGs.
Euglena can be used as a powdered drink, a baking ingredient, or even a fuel source
The Deputy-chief’s Award given by the Chief Cabinet Secretary, the second highest accolade, was awarded to two organisations. One is eboard, an NPO offering educational opportunities for children with learning difficulties through the provision of captions for online lessons. The other is the Social Welfare Organization Saiseikai Imperial Gift Foundation, a public medical institution providing healthcare and welfare support to those in need.
Winners of the Deputy-chief’s Award given by the Foreign Minister, which is the third highest award, included two firms and an NPO. One of the firms is HAKKI AFRICA Inc., which provides financing for high-quality used cars in Kenya. The other is OUI Inc., awarded for its development of a medical device and offering access to eye care at an affordable price. The NPO Japan Heart was awarded for providing access to medical care to children with cancer in Southeast Asian countries as well as remote areas in Japan.
