Marubeni : Collaboration on Impact Finance for the First Time in Japan among a Financial Institution, a Sogo Shosha General Trading Company, and a Startup, and Announcement of the Development and Launch of the Loan Product “Forestrike”—Supporting the Decarbonization Initiatives of Companies

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Apr. 30, 2024

The Nishi-Nippon City Bank, Ltd.

Marubeni Corporation

e-dash Co., Ltd.

Collaboration on Impact Finance*1 for the First Time in Japan among a Financial Institution, a Sogo Shosha General Trading Company, and a Startup, and Announcement of the Development and Launch of the Loan Product "Forestrike"-Supporting the Decarbonization Initiatives of Companies

The Nishi-Nippon City Bank, Ltd. (President: Hideyuki Murakami; hereinafter, "NCB"), Marubeni

Corporation (President and CEO: Masumi Kakinoki; hereinafter, "Marubeni"), and e-dash Co., Ltd.

(President and CEO: Toma Yamazaki; hereinafter, "e-dash") together announce the development of "Forestrike," an impact finance loan product for the realization of a carbon-neutral society, as well as its launch at NCB.

Recently, the Japanese government's 2050 Carbon Neutrality Declaration and other initiatives have increased corporate interest in decarbonization. On the other hand, there are many companies that are facing problems and challenges in understanding what specific actions they should take to decarbonize their businesses.

In order to meet the needs of such companies, the three companies have collaborated to develop and launch this product as a decarbonization action all-in-one package financing product that includes visualization of GHG emissions, support for KPI design and achievement, and voluntary carbon offsetting*2.

This is the first time in Japan that a financial institution, a sogo shosha general trading company, and a start-up company have jointly developed a loan product to support corporate decarbonization efforts.

Through this product, the three companies will continue to support companies working to decarbonize their businesses and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.

*1 Impact finance is a type of financing which is intended to produce positive environmental, social, and economic impacts while ensuring an appropriate risk-return profile.

*2 Carbon offsetting in Japan is an initiative in which members of society recognize their own greenhouse gas emissions and voluntarily make efforts to reduce them, while at the same time compensating for emissions that are difficult to reduce, in whole or in part, by purchasing credits for greenhouse gas emission reductions or absorption achieved elsewhere, or by implementing projects or activities that reduce or absorb emissions elsewhere.

• Overview of Forestrike

Product name	Decarbonization Impact Finance "Forestrike"
Target	Corporations seeking to decarbonize their businesses
Service	May 1, 2024
commencement
Loan amount	Minimum 100 million JPY
Loan period	More than 3 years
Interest rate on loans	To be determined by NCB
Usage	Working capital, Capex etc

• This product has received a third-party evaluation from Japan Credit Rating Agency,Ltd. as finance based on the "Basic Approach to Impact Finance" formulated by the Ministry of the Environment.
  ・Customers who take up this product will receive a Carbon Credit Redemption Certificate, a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Declaration, and a commemorative gift.

【Carbon Credit Redemption Certificate・Greenhouse Gas Reduction Declaration・commemorative gift image】

Medals will be awarded based on KPI achievement for each fiscal year.

"Carbon Credit	"Greenhouse Gas	"commemorative gift"
Redemption Certificate"	Reduction Declaration"

• Schematic outline of Forestrike

• Three key points of this product

*3 The carbon offset service for this product is a voluntary carbon offset scheme and is not applied to the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures, the Act on Rationalizing Energy Use and Shifting to Non-fossil Energy, or other regulations.

Overview of Forestrike partners

Inquiries regarding Forestrike:

Ito/Yoshinaga, Corporate Solution Department, The Nishi-Nippon City Bank, Ltd.

Tel.: [phone]