Obtaining SBT certification to deepen response to climate change measures

--Please tell us about your company's Service and the department you both work in.

Yoshiko Kato (hereinafter referred to as Kato): Infronia Holdings (hereinafter referred to as Infronia) was established in October 2021 as a joint holding Company of Maeda Construction, Maeda Road, and Maeda Manufacturing. Japan Wind Development joined in 2024, and the group now consists of four major operating Company . At Infronia, we aim to realize a new business model as a "comprehensive infrastructure Service company" to solve social Issue through infrastructure and infrastructure Service . We operate in various infrastructure fields, including construction, paving, machinery Manufacturing, and renewable Energy. Furthermore, we leverage our strength in being able to provide Service seamlessly from upstream to downstream, and aim to solve social Issue through infrastructure and Service by focusing on planning proposals and investment.

We belong to the Sustainability Promotion Office of the Corporate Strategy Department, where we plan and implement sustainability measures across the entire group. In particular, our team focuses on the environmental field, and is responsible for supporting the group's decarbonized management through the use of renewable Energy and the promotion of climate change countermeasures.

Masaaki Hayashi (hereinafter referred to as Hayashi): Starting in April 2025, we have evolved into an integrated sustainability promotion system aimed at improving our internal and external evaluations. In addition to our expertise in the environmental field, we are also focusing on the disclosure of integrated sustainability information and responding to external evaluations.

--Please tell us about the background and Issue you faced in working to obtain SBT.

Kato: The main reason is to deepen our response to climate change measures. We wanted to consolidate environmental measures that had previously been implemented by individual operating Company into a single policy for the holding company, and present it both internally and externally as a convincing goal.

Maeda Construction had already obtained SBT, but with the establishment of a holding company structure, Infronia was required to apply for it again. However, there were high practical hurdles to overcome, such as submitting the application in English, providing supporting numerical evidence, and Settings boundaries, and they had particular difficulty in collecting and classifying past data.

--What aspects of the work did you find particularly difficult?

Hayashi: The most difficult part was collecting data from each operating Company. We had to unify the various formats, including those of our 30 to 40 subsidiaries, and manually compile and analyze the data. We also needed to ensure consistency with the boundaries set out in the integrated report. Kato oversaw the practical aspects and handled all the detailed communication with each group company.

Kato: The people in charge at each group company were very helpful. We made sure to communicate frequently and discuss things together so that the goals wouldn't just be for show. We also introduced Zeroboard , a GHG emissions calculation / Visualization solution , to further deepen collaboration with group Company and work toward more effective goal management through data aggregation and visualization.

Hayashi: The Dashboard 's high level of customizability, such as being able to display aggregated results for the entire holdings or switch between individual operating Company , was a key point in evaluating the implementation. We hope to make good use of it with Zeroboard's support.

SBTHow to overcome these hurdles? The importance of consulting Service

──Please tell us why you chose Zeroboard and what was the deciding factor.

Mr. Kato: I first encountered Zeroboard when I was consulting about introducing a calculation system. During our conversation, I learned that they also provide support for SBT applications, and I felt that they had ample expertise. This gave me peace of mind when requesting their consulting Service.

We thought it would be difficult to obtain SBT certification on our own, so we were looking for a company that could support us from the beginning. Zeroboard not only offered us an appropriate price based on the support Contents, but also had a strong track record of implementing and supporting general contractors, so we expected they had a deep understanding of the industry and would be able to provide support that suited the characteristics of our business.

──What is your impression of Zeroboard's consulting Service?

Mr. Kato: They were indeed a reliable partner in dealing with the English language barrier and in communicating with the SBT Secretariat. It wasn't just the language barrier; we were able to consult them freely when we didn't understand the SBT Secretariat's intentions or the finer nuances. The knowledge and advice they gained from applying for other companies was particularly helpful, and they allowed us to recognize differences in interpretation that we would not have noticed on our own. Furthermore, dealing with overseas parties with time zone differences sometimes required us to adhere to tight schedules, but we are grateful for their flexible response.

Since SBT applications are not made every year, it would be difficult for a non-specialist company to have the knowledge and expertise, so I was grateful to have the support of a trusted partner.

Hayashi: I am very satisfied with the support I received from Zeroboard. I especially appreciated the detailed feedback from the SBT secretariat and the accurate support they provided to address misunderstandings due to differences in business practices and culture.

--What changes have occurred both inside and outside the company as a result of obtaining SBT?

Kato: Although we haven't been able to conduct a detailed analysis, it was great to see the clear impact on the external evaluations we had hoped for, such as CDPs score, the global standard for climate change information disclosure, rising by two levels (to the highest A list rating) while we were still in the SBT application stage. As we aim to be a company trusted by all stakeholders, we believe this has given us an opportunity to have our efforts recognized, particularly by institutional investors. We have also received a certain level of praise from within the company.

Hayashi: In terms of the specific timeline, we started applying for SBT in May 2024, and in our response to the CDPs questionnaire in September of the same year, we stated that we were "applying for SBT." We obtained SBT certification in December 2024, and CDPs score was announced in February 2025, which ultimately led to an increase in CDPs score. We have continually responded to surveys from various rating agencies, and in fiscal 2024, our environmental scores in the Nikkei Sustainable Comprehensive Survey, Sompo Japan ESG Survey, S&P, and other surveys all improved. We have also received more requests for related contributions, which has expanded our opportunities to disseminate information and led to positive PR effects.

Sustainability Promotion Office, Corporate Strategy Department Mr. Masaaki, Mr. Kato Dear Jiko

Group-wide decarbonization and future prospects

--Please tell us about your future strategies regarding sustainability.

Hayashi: In March 2025, we announced a new medium-term management plan (2025-2027). In it, we aim to balance "solving social Issue" with "sustainable corporate growth." Japan Wind Development and Maeda Construction, two new additions to our group, are collaborating to strengthen our business, including building renewable energy power plants. Scope 1 and 2 represent an opportunity to develop technologies to reduce our own emission amount , which may in turn be useful to our customers. Our two pillars are to reduce CO2 emission amount from our own business activity while generating profits and contributing to resolving social Issue.

Kato: Along with our medium-term management plan, we announced that we would accelerate our goal of achieving RE100, an international initiative that aims to cover 100% of the electricity used in corporate business activity with renewable Energy. Specifically, we have Settings to accelerate our targets of 50% by fiscal 2030 and 100% by fiscal 2050 to fiscal 2030. We hope to contribute to society as a leading company promoting the use of renewable Energy. Going forward, we believe that we need to consider this issue in the broader context of addressing environmental issues, not just climate change, and we plan to focus on areas such as the circular economy and nature positivity. We believe this will definitely lead to business opportunities for our company.

--Finally, what advice would you give to other companies considering SBT?

Mr. Kato: Keeping in mind that the application process, including preparation, takes a lot of time, I realized that it was essential to plan a schedule with ample time and to use a consulting Service with specialized knowledge. The SBT Secretariat's requests and confirmations were very detailed, so I felt that Zeroboard's accurate response, based on their experience, was very reassuring.

I think things will go smoothly if you seek the cooperation of trusted partners, deepen understanding within the company, and value company-wide collaboration.

Hayashi: I think it's important to create a system for compiling the data that forms the basis of everything. Collecting data on a regular basis will lead to a smoother application. SBT certainly has high hurdles, but I feel that there are many rewards ahead, so I recommend taking on the challenge.

*The support Contents will vary depending on the plan and options you choose.
Zeroboard offers consulting Service to support SBT applications, as well as various options to suit customer needs, including holding study sessions and data entry services.