柔軟な発想と不屈の情熱で
脱炭素に向けた現実的な選択肢
カーボンオフセット燃料を
社会に届ける

  • Petroleum Sales Planning Department, Planning & Coordination Section
    H. WATANABE

The realization of a decarbonized society is a global challenge that cannot be avoided any longer. Development of next-generation energy sources is underway, but they cannot be implemented immediately in all industries and business types. The reality is that unavoidable CO₂ emissions will remain. In this situation, a movement to offset (cancel) the CO₂ emitted when using Petroleum by utilizing "carbon credits" is attracting attention.

Idemitsu Kosan has developed and launched "Idemitsu Carbon Offset Fuel (ICOF)," which is a fuel that can offset CO₂ emissions while still using conventional fuel by combining carbon credits with the fuel. We interviewed a sales planning department member on the theme of "breaking new ground" to find out what kind of trial and error went into bringing this industry-first product to market.

INTERVIEW POINT

After joining the company in 2014, he gained hands-on experience at Refinery, service station, and external sales for one year. In 2015, he became responsible for dealers * and provided business promotion support to dealers, which are partner companies, in the Chugoku, Kanto, and Kansai regions. In 2023, he was assigned to Petroleum Marketing Department Planning Division and put in charge of CNX (Carbon Neutral Transformation). He is currently in charge of product design and sales promotion planning for CNX-related products, including ICOF.
* A partner company that has signed dealers contract with Idemitsu Kosan. It can handle the products and services provided by Idemitsu Kosan, such as operating Idemitsu Kosan-affiliated service station.

カーボンニュートラルの
推進担当者として
課された使命と責任に
立ち向かう

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.

キラーフレーズは持たない
特約販売店の生の声と
実例が共感を呼び
全国展開に至る

Product development that will be the final step in filling the gap in CO₂ reduction

Idemitsu Kosan's basic business practice is to sell products through dealers. In other words, we must develop products dealers are convinced of and can sell with confidence. In other words, we think it's about how we can develop products that are accepted by the world. Since there is no difference in the quality of the actual products, ICOF has listened to the opinions of dealers, held repeated discussions, and moved forward with commercialization. In particular, we asked dealers in Osaka to cooperate with the trial operation, and we repeated trial and error for six months, and received a lot of advice on detailed design such as how to manage inventory and issue supply certificates. Based on the results, we were finally able to expand nationwide.

—So this product was created based on feedback from dealers

That's right. The ICOF purchasing system using credit cards, which went on sale in May 2025, was developed after we received many inquiries from customers who wanted to use ICOF for company cars while proposing existing ICOF. When the product was released, we received feedback such as, "It's great to be able to use environmentally friendly fuel when refueling at service station as usual." We were very pleased to be able to bring a product that meets the needs of the field to the world.

Providing the best possible service by making proposals tailored to your needs

—What difficulties did you encounter when selling ICOF?—

There is no killer phrase for selling ICOF. It is a product that has been created by listening to the voices of the field, so we value introducing cases where ICOF has actually been introduced and getting customers to buy into it. Idemitsu Kosan's strength is that we have a wide range of options, including ICOF, bio-fuel oil, and biodiesel, so rather than selling ICOF alone, we make proposals that meet the needs and steadily deliver it to where it is needed.
In the future, technological advances may bring about a time when CO₂ emissions truly approach zero. However, at present, there are many cases where "we want to work on reducing CO₂, but it is difficult to do so immediately." For example, a customer who operates trains and ropeways in tourist areas has been promoting virtually zero CO₂ emissions by introducing renewable energy electricity, but was worried that they could not take measures for their tourist boats that run on heavy oil A. We proposed ICOF through dealers, and they adopted it, and we were told that "we were able to take measures toward carbon neutrality in the transportation business without making a large capital investment."
There are also fuels for which no alternative fuels exist yet. For example, kerosene. Companies that use kerosene have had no way to reduce CO₂ emissions until now. However, ICOF allows companies to continue using kerosene while working to reduce CO₂ emissions, and many such companies have actually introduced ICOF. ICOF may not be the main product for reducing CO₂ emissions, but we believe it is the final step in offsetting CO₂ emissions that cannot be reduced even with provide for society of next-generation energy. In other words, it plays an important role as a "realistic solution that can fill the gap" in CO₂ reduction, and we believe that this will continue to be necessary in the future.

社会を支える責任と
未来の地球環境を守る責任
燃料を供給する側「だからこそ」
次世代燃料の可能性を探る

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.

ANOTHER STORY

Joined Idemitsu Kosan after working part-time at service station

During his university days, Watanabe worked part-time at an Idemitsu Kosan service station, which led him to decide to join the company.

"When I applied, to be honest, I felt like it was just an extension of my part-time job. When I actually joined the company, the scope of work and responsibilities I was assigned were completely different from what I had been doing before, and I often struggled, but the on-site experience I gained as a dealers representative for two years in Hiroshima, four years in Tokyo, and two years in Osaka, and now I am in charge of work that I could never have imagined when I joined the company. I feel a sense of fulfillment thanks to the support of many people. Now that the nature of energy is changing, I want to look to the future and do my best to tackle each and every challenge in front of me."
*As of July 2025