Will an intangible product be accepted? Anxiety and a sense of mission that come from being on-site

—You were transferred from a position supporting Petroleum dealers representative to being in charge of CNX. How did you feel about that?

I was surprised. Since I joined the company, I have been consistently in charge of dealers at each branch, so I never expected to be in charge of promoting CNX at the head office, which I had almost no experience with. When I was in charge of dealers, I often felt a sense of mission to ensure a stable supply of fuel, and I saw that we were moving in the direction of carbon neutrality, but to be honest, I never thought that I would be in charge of it. While I was very excited to be able to take on a new challenge, I also felt a lot of pressure and was worried about what I could do. However, I had always worked in a position close to the field, so I thought that I could make use of what I had learned there and the connections I had built up.

—How did the development of Carbon Credit Fuel (later known as ICOF) begin?—

The use of carbon credit offsets is becoming more widespread overseas, and we began looking into it after receiving a proposal from our group company, Idemitsu International (Asia). Carbon credit-added fuel is ordinary fuel such as gasoline that is given the right of carbon credits. Unlike biofuel, there is no difference in the quality of the actual product. We cannot sell people something that we do not understand, so we first focused on deepening our understanding of the basics, such as "what is a carbon credit?"
We consulted online with Idemitsu Asia's staff who are experts in handling carbon credits, and whenever we ran into a problem we would ask questions via chat as we proceeded with the development. We were also fortunate to have many supportive opinions within the company. We reported on ideas and progress at regular meetings, and if there was anything we could do we would immediately consult with project members and move forward, so it felt like we were constantly consulting and discussing with someone.
Petroleum with carbon credits confers rights, so in a sense it is a product that is completed entirely on paper. At first I was skeptical about whether such a product would be accepted. Perhaps I felt that way because I was in charge of dealers and was always thinking about the stable supply of real Petroleum. However, as in the past, we had been listening to the voices of those in the field as we proceeded with development, so at a certain point we became convinced that "this is reliable," and we were able to step on the accelerator to commercialize the product.

Identifying issues and getting the relevant parties involved to move the project forward

The biggest difference from my previous work is that I needed to get many people involved in this project. For example, when I thought, "If we use credit cards, we could give carbon credits to the fuel we fill up at gas stations," I needed to consult with the in-house system developers and the group's credit companies. We started with casual conversations like, "Is this possible?" and gradually moved on to more specific discussions. I had to get people who aren't normally involved with Petroleum to understand the system, and then clearly communicate what I wanted to achieve, so I proceeded very carefully.
In theory, ICOF can be applied to any type of oil. Idemitsu Kosan handles a wide variety of fuels and supply methods, so for each of them, we need to consider whether to implement ICOF, and if we do, we need to identify and solve the issues. This consideration is difficult, but I also feel that my ideas are being commercialized, which makes engagement.

Idemitsu Kosan's responsibility to face reality and "open up" the future

—As the person in charge of CNX, what are your thoughts as you work? —

I believe that Idemitsu Kosan, as a fuel supplier, has a very important role to play in realizing a carbon-free society. A characteristic of our industry is that the amount of CO₂ emitted by using the fuel we supply is overwhelmingly greater than the amount of CO₂ emitted by our company. In other words, while the products we supply support society, they also cause CO₂ emissions when used, which can be a source of worry. For this reason, I believe that it is Idemitsu Kosan's mission and responsibility to face this reality and provide some kind of solution.
Idemitsu Kosan's strength is that we have partner companies called dealers all over the country. We believe that through this network, we can implement CO₂ reduction efforts in various ways. New initiatives and product development require investment costs, and there is also concern about whether people will actually buy them. Nevertheless, I believe that we need to be fearless in our approach to realizing a decarbonized society. In these times of rapid change, we need to open up the possibilities of next-generation energy with flexible thinking and an indomitable spirit.

— Flexible thinking and an indomitable spirit are probably what is required of someone in charge of CNX.—

Yes, that's right... I'd like to be able to say that with confidence. Without flexible thinking and an indomitable spirit, it's impossible to pave new paths. I want to hone these skills even more so that they can become my and Idemitsu Kosan's strengths in the future. While respecting the history of Petroleum supporting people's lives and its value, I would like to play a role in building a bridge to a sustainable society without being afraid of the challenge of new energy.

• For an explanation of ICOF, please click here.