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The Japan Patent Office (JPO) participates as a partner in the online platform WIPO GREEN to promote the utilization of green technologies, which is run by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The JPO will work together with WIPO to continuously strive to facilitate the spread of green technologies in the world.
WIPO, as a special agency of the United Nations (UN), intends to contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by making use of intellectual property.
WIPO and the Sustainable Development Goals
WIPO and the Sustainable Development Goals(External link)
WIPO GREEN was launched in 2013 for the purpose of supporting the development and the diffusion of environmental innovation. Through its online database and regional activities, WIPO GREEN connects green tech seekers and providers. At present, the WIPO GREEN database with more than 129,000 technologies, needs and experts registered is utilized by more than 2,500 users across the world.
Over 150 organizations, including government agencies, industry groups, companies, universities and research institutions, have joined the international network of WIPO GREEN partners. Partners are members of the WIPO GREEN Advisory Board, who work together with WIPO to lead discussions at WIPO GREEN. They play a key role, offering support and advice on the WIPO GREEN activities.
For the details about WIPO GREEN partners, please refer to the following page on the WIPO GREEN website:
WIPO GREEN Partners(External link)
At present, 51 partners from Japan have joined WIPO GREEN. The following are some of the partner activities. (The order of the articles, other than that of the JPO, is aligned with WIPO GREEN Partner list.)
* Articles other than that of the JPO is based on the information provided by partners. JPO is not responsible for the accuracy of the contents.
The JPO joined WIPO GREEN as a partner on February 19, 2020. The JPO is looking forward to WIPO's great contributions to SDGs. The JPO will further deepen the cooperative relationship with WIPO and WIPO Japan Office, actively support activities of WIPO GREEN, and work on disseminating environmental technologies.
Signing Ceremony of WIPO GREEN Partnership Agreement
Under its corporate philosophy "Kyosei" and environmental vision "Action for Green", Canon has been promoting environmental initiatives, including recycling of consumables for printers and office multifunction devices. Through its technological innovation, Canon will contribute to the realization of a society in which both affluent lifestyles and the global environment coexist.
As part of these efforts, Canon joined WIPO GREEN as a partner company in December 2019, and at the same time, registered 28 technologies developed by Canon relating to bioplastics and recycled plastics in the WIPO GREEN database. Canon plans to expand the number of registered technologies in the future.
Through this database, Canon expects that corporations and individuals who require technologies related to environmental protection will utilize Canon's technologies and contribute to global environmental measures.
Canon Environmental Vision
Flowchart of Canon's Circular Economy
Daicel’s resin suitable for plating, whose technology is listed on WIPO GREEN Database, provides a plated resin with beautiful appearance, high heat resistance and high durability.
We can plate the resin under mild acid conditions so that chromic acid (hexavalent chromium compound) is not necessary for plating. By not using chromic acid, we can reduce the risk of health hazard to humans and the impact on environments such as soil pollution and water pollution, and can also save a lot of water used for recovery and washing of chromic acid.
Plated resin
Physical properties of plated resin (Higher heat resistance)
R-32 refrigerant, can reduce about 75% of total global warming impact comparing to conventional refrigerants, R-22 and R-410A, as R-32 has a lower GWP and could reduce refrigerant charge. It is also easy to recycle so that it could contribute to the realization of sustainable society.
Daikin has selected R-32 as the most appropriate refrigerant for residential and commercial air-conditioners. In 2012, Daikin launched the world’s first R-32 residential air-conditioner. Then, Daikin provided free access to 93 of R-32 equipment patents in order that all manufactures can make and sell R-32 air-conditioner. For some emerging countries, Daikin has conducted technical training together with United Nation’s organizations and governments. In July 2019, Daikin announced non-assertion pledge for about 180 of R-32 equipment patents. Daikin listed these patents on the WIPO GREEN database to make R-32 more widely available so that climate impact could be mitigated further.
Daikin aims to disseminate our environmental technology as a partner of WIPO GREEN.
Daikin’s pledge (External link) (As of 17 April 2020)
Example of a project collaborated with emerging country governments and international organizations in Thailand
Project Launch Ceremony for technical training with Thai government
Technical training
Titanium apatite is an apatite crystal in which titanium ions are introduced. Titanium apatite has the function of photocatalyst material to decompose bacteria and viruses by ultraviolet irradiation, and has better adsorption capacity of the object than conventional photocatalyst material, such as titanium oxide (Fig.1). This technology, which is listed on the WIPO GREEN database, improves the sanitary environment by imparting antibacterial and antiviral properties to various products by kneading titanium apatite. It can be applied to various products, for example, electronic equipment cabinets and films attached to touch panels of ATMs that many people would touch. Many licensed products applying titanium apatite are being sold, such as a Fragrance Clip that gives a fragrance to a mask (Fig.2).
Fujitsu will contribute to the realization of the SDGs by spreading this technology and encouraging more people to use this technology to improve the sanitary environment.
Fig1 Photocatalyst Titanium apatite
Fig2 Development of "Fragrance clip for mask" using titanium apatite, a photocatalytic material with antibacterial and deodorizing effects (Matsumoto Seisakusho Co.,Ltd)
GMS provides FinTech services for the unbanked to purchase vehicles for work, and is striving to solve poverty through improvement of income and creation of job opportunities.
As part of these efforts, GMS promotes the replacement of old vehicles with new models with low emissions, thereby contributing to the improvement of air quality.
GMS became a WIPO GREEN partner in April 2021.
Its proprietary patented technology which enables safe remote control of a vehicle engine has been registered in the WIPO GREEN database. GMS will further contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by accelerating open innovation through WIPO GREEN.
GMS Philippines staff and tricycle driver
Mr. Sawai, Director of the WIPO Japan Office and members of GMS
Green Science Alliance developed 100% nature biomass based biodegradable resin, and registered the technoolgy in the WIPO GREEN database. This technolgy is applicable to many kinds of products, including nano cellulose composite, various types of biomass waste based resin, non edible biomass resource based resin, and 100% biomass based coating material.
Green Science Alliance also made biomass based biodegradable resin which can be used for mass production of raw materials with most of the molding procedure.
100% Nature Biomass based Biodegradable Resin
Hitachi proposes and advocates a new IP concept “IP for society” toward SDGs and Society5.0. The concept aims to design future society and declares certain IP highly public in nature open in order to solve social issues.
As a part of its IP activity under the concept, Hitachi joined WIPO GREEN as a contributing partner in December, 2019. Mr. Toshiaki Higashihara, President & CEO of Hitachi, had met with Dr. Francis Gurry, Director General of WIPO, in February, 2019 and discussed IP in the new era. Hitachi will continue to promote new IP activities to realize sustainable society.
IP for society
Francis Gurry, Director General of WIPO and Toshiaki Higashihara, President & CEO of Hitachi
JIPA proposed the concept of environmental technology transfer to WIPO in 2009. JIPA has been involved in the spread of WIPO GREEN as a partner since the official launch of WIPO GREEN in 2013.
In recent years, JIPA has regular meetings with JIPA members of WIPO GREEN partners and users to exchange information and explore new possibilities for WIPO GREEN. JIPA also has organized workshops for them to think about solutions to social issues and SDGs through collaboration between technology and intellectual property based on technology "needs" in its database.
JIPA has just set up a working group for WIPO GREEN to explore new business possibilities, such as considering a patent pool and an open innovation circle of environmental technology and how to disseminate and license the technology registered in WIPO GREEN. JIPA plans to strengthen co-creation among members and welcomes the participation of many members in its activities.
JPAA endorsed a technology transfer platform, WIPO GREEN, operated by WIPO, and became a WIPO GREEN partner in February 2016. In 2017, JPAA held a workshop on WIPO GREEN including scheme using WIPO GREEN in supporting international technology transfer of green technology as a patent attorney etc. for JPAA members. Further, in the same year, JPAA made a leaflet of WIPO GREEN and distributed to its members.
WIPO GREEN Partner Signing Ceremony
Flyer distributed to JPAA members
JIPII actively joins the dialogues at Advisory Board Meeting for improving WIPO GREEN and constitutes the network of Japanese stakeholders in Green-tech developers and Tech-transfer experts to disseminate WIPO GREEN in Japan.
JIPII also promotes WIPO GREEN to Japanese SMEs and Universities and increase the number of excellent technology seeds in the database. It also introduces the Green-tech needs of developing countries to Japanese stakeholders, promotes the users’ matchmaking, and supports their information exchange.
Participation in WIPO GREEN side event at the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 22, 2016, Marrakesh)
Paticipation in matchmaking events
Kenya Climate Innovation Center in Nairobi, 2016
Paticipation in matchmaking events
Asian Development Bank in Manila, 2018
Konica Minolta (KM) has made know-how of environmental management available as an open resource to more than 1,000 companies. Then, KM has joined WIPO GREEN as a partner on December 5, 2019 to promote SDGs in the intellectual property field.
Also, KM has registered patents related to film mirrors for concentrating solar power (CSP) generation and dye sensitized solar cells that can generate power even under low illuminance in WIPO GREEN.
While the corporate IP division of KM plays a key role seeking a model for the use of IP in the new era, KM will help to achieve the SDGs by using KM’s proprietary environment-related technologies.
Film Mirrors for CSP
Dye Sensitized Solar Cells
The Meiden Group will “contribute to the creation of a sustainable society” through its businesses in the energy and water treatment fields to support social infrastructure, as well as through its products, technologies, and services that it has developed up to this point, while minimizing the environmental impact of its business activities.
Meidensha Corporation believes that the tasks for companies living in the 21st century are to realize “a carbon-free society”, “a circulating society” and “a society in harmony with nature”, and are focusing on sustainability management with “human resources and communication” at the foundation of these tasks.
As part of this enterprise, Meidensha Corporation registered an eco-tank-type vacuum circuit breaker (a device that protects power systems from lightning strikes, etc.), that uses dry air for insulation, and therefore does not use SF6 gas, which has a greenhouse effect of 25,200 times (※) greater than that of CO2, as an environmental technology in the WIPO GREEN database.
To support the realization of a sustainable society by promoting environmental technologies, Meidensha Corporation will continue to expand the registration of environmental technologies in the WIPO GREEN database.
※Based on the data in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Working Group I
Image of Meiden Group's "Environmental Vision"
145kV Eco-Tank Type Vacuum-Circuit Breaker supplied to an Electric Association in Alaska
The dry air used as an insulating medium does not liquefy even at surrounding temperature of -50°C, eliminating the need for heaters to prevent liquefaction of the insulating medium in cold climates.
Example of the Life Cycle of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Effects (Compared to our company’s product)
The development of technology to separate and capture carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, must be achieved for solving global environmental issues. Meiji University Center for Polymer Science is conducting the research on CO2 separation membranes and registering the related technologies in the WIPO GREEN database. By simply passing exhaust gas through a plastic thin film, CO2 and other gases are separated and the recovered CO2 is recycled as a resource.
This center has been synthesizing various plant-based plastics as an alternative to fossil-based materials. One of them is synthesized from rice. Separation membranes can also be used for the separation and purification of hydrogen gas, which is clean energy, and methane gas, which is used as city gas.
Recovery and effective utilization of CO2 by membrane separation
Rice-based membrane for CO2 separation
Osaka University’s education and research core principle focuses on the value of life. Efforts to seek solutions for issues in society are centered around the areas of protecting, nurturing, and bonding life, which strive to create a society that fosters a sense of purpose.
The principles of the SDGs are fundamental to activities at Osaka University; therefore, considering the SDGs are a global platform for collaboration with various initiatives like the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, stakeholders in society and Osaka University will contribute in achieving the SDGs.
As WIPO GREEN conforms to activities related to SDGs, Osaka University expects that their leading green technologies will contribute to the innovation which will help solve issues in society using the tough WIPO GREEN Platform.
Osaka University, as a partner, supports WIPO GREEN activities in order to achieve SDGs.
OU's SDGs Initiatives(External link)
Fig.1 The Concept of “Facing Challenges in Society: The Value of Life”
Fig.2 One of Osaka University’s technologies registered with WIPO GREEN:
Removal and recovery of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from PCBs-contaminated oil using a cyclodextrin polymer (a plant-based adsorbent) and recycle of the adsorbent.
In-water radical generating device by discharge plasma technology, which is listed on the WIPO GREEN database, contributes to such as water reuse or prevention of water pollution through the water purification, and also, improvement of air quality by decomposing odor substance.
This technology can be utilized for treating a water by applying a high voltage pulse to a pair of discharge electrode in the water so that bubbles are generated in the water.
The bubbles contain OH radicals and other reactive oxygen species, and these species penetrate into the water to purify and sterilize the water and decompose microorganisms.
System architecture
Application
The Ricoh Group declared promotion of sustainable environmental management aiming for “achieving environmental conservation and profits simultaneously” in 1998, and since then it has been taking groupwide measures for the reduction of impacts on the global environment and for the restoration of the earth’s regenerative ability. In 2017, Ricoh joined RE100* as the first Japanese company and has solved social issues through its businesses. To accelerate such activities, Ricoh has been a partner of WIPO GREEN since March 2021.
At the beginning as a partner, Ricoh opened 83 technologies in the wastewater treatment field, where strong needs exist in countries over the world, by registering such Ricoh-developed technologies with the WIPO GREEN database. Spreading these green technologies into society helps reduce the impacts on the global environment.
Ricoh also plans to open environment-friendly technologies in other areas to contribute to preservation of global environment.
* A global initiative bringing together the world’s most influential businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity.
Environmental impact remains within the self-recovery capabilities of the global environment
Pilot plant for wastewater treatment by high temperature and high pressure water oxidation
Dry cleaning machine without using water or solvents
Shiseido joined WIPO GREEN as the first partner company from the cosmetics industry in March 2020. We have granted a license to use our technology listed in the WIPO GREEN database to Toyo University. The students took the challenge of creating cosmetics and successfully developed a sustainable, low-environmental-impact hand serum by applying “low-energy manufacturing technology”.
Shiseido news release (External link), Toyo University news release(External link)(Issued in March 2022)
Hand serum “BOISEN”(Photo by Toyo University)
In March 2020, the Shobayashi International Patent & Trademark Office (SIPTO) is the first office in the world that to become a WIPO GREEN partner among private patent offices. While a large number of Japanese companies have been providing excellent environmental technologies into the WIPO GREEN database, the SIPTO is ready to perform consultations for the purpose of matching and licensing in WIPO GREEN mechanisms that promote cooperation of these technology providers with technology seekers.
The SIPTO has lenghty and successful experience in providing advice for strategic usage of intellectual property to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), patent licensing between companies, and helping SMEs seek business partners to affiliate with. SIPTO contributes to the WIPO GREEN initiative by utilizing its characteristic expertise that traditional patent offices do not have.
WIPO GREEN partner arenas
(From WIPO GREEN Strategic Plan 2019-2023)
Partners’ rolls on WIPO GREEN
As a national university corporation aiming to improve international competitiveness and contribute to regional revitalization, Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (Gifu University, Nagoya University) will actively provide seeds of environmental technology to the WIPO GREEN database, and encourage research conducted at universities to contribute to the sustainable development of society and industry.
Tokai National Higher Education and Research System is the first national university corporation to participate as a partner in support of the purpose of the WIPO GREEN, which promotes the utilization and dissemination of environmental technologies.
Announced participation in WIPO GREEN partner (November 2020)
Extermination of Striga seeds by suicide germination with SPL-7
Toyo Aluminium Ekco Products manufactures and sells household products and packaging products. In addition, it has been further promoting eco-friendly products, and proactively working on the SDGs set by UN Member States.
As a part of this, Toyo Aluminium Ekco Products supports WIPO GREEN's activities as a partner, and registered some of its eco-friendly technologies (paper containers *Fig.1 and water purification device *Fig.2) in WIPO GREEN's database.
Fig.1 Paper containers (press molding)
Fig.2 Water purification device (purifying rainwater using sunlight)
Solar Heat Collection Tube is a key component of a concentrating solar thermal power generation system(FIG.1) that collects sunlight with a reflector and extracts high-temperature heat. Toyota Industries Corporation’s solar heat collection tubes(FIG.3) , whose technology is listed on the WIPO GREEN database, have a selective absorption film that efficiently absorbs sunlight, contributing to the extracting of thermal energy of 400℃ or higher.
FIG.1 Parabolic trough type concentrating solar power system (From NEDO Renewable Energy Technology White Paper)
FIG.2 Sunlight concentrator
FIG.3 Heat collection tube
Tokyo Tech OI Platform supports industry-academia collaboration activities through open innovation. Tokyo Tech OI Platform will actively develop collaborative activities in the field of green innovation. In fact, TTOP2021 that aimed at green innovation was held online on November 25 and 26, 2021. At the symposium, Tokyo Tech OI Platform supported WIPO GREEN’s dissemination and awareness activities by invited speaker, Mr. Sawai, Director of WIPO Japan Office.
Tokyo Tech OPen innovation & venture/research festival(TTOP)2021(External link)
On WIPO GREEN database, Toyota has listed nearly 23,740 (as of the end of March, 2019) patents awarded over more than 20 years of hybrid vehicle technology development. These are core technologies that can be applied to the development of various types of electrified vehicles including HEVs, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). Toyota is promoting the development, widespread use, and market introduction of electrified vehicles around the globe to contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and the fight against climate change.
Vehicle electrification technology patents:
Licenses to approximately 23,740 royalty free patents to be granted
The expectation for next-generation mobility is growing in the measure about low carbonation and the smart community of a transportation section. The Ultra Light-weight Vehicle (ULV), whose technology is listed on the WIPO GREEN database by Waseda University Environmental Research Institute, is developed based on the concept of “under an automobile more than a bicycle.” ULV is based on Electric Vehicle (EV), but the concept of Multi-PM (Prime Mover) has been introduced on it. Research on air engine drive ULV is also being conducted.
Furthermore, the development as self-driving ULV is in progress in Waseda University Environmental Research Institute.
Ultra Lightweight Vehicle
Yamagata University(YU) is engaged in the mission to develop an ecosystem of “Regional Innovation”, “Future Creation”, and “Multicultural Collaboration”. YU has been committed to SDGs since 2020. Over last one year, YU has accelerated its effort towards achievement of SDGs by engaging the scientific community. YU agrees and adopts the WIPO GREEN, which is to accelerate innovation and implementation of green technology to develop sustainable green technology for society. YU participated as a partner of WIPO GREEN in April 2021. Furthermore, YU registered a novel hydrogen production technology using an organic molecule embedded CdS nanocomposite via water splitting in the WIPO GREEN database.
YU-SDGs EmpowerStation(External link)
Figure 1. Collaborative Declaration for the Promotion of the SDGs. (From left) President Sagae of Yamagata Shimbun, Governor Yoshimura of Yamagata Prefecture, and President Tamate of Yamagata University.
Figure 2. Compared to CdS alone, CdS nanocomposites produce 22 times more hydrogen from water when exposed to light.
[Last updated 14 May 2024]
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International Policy Division Policy Planning and Coordination Department Japan Patent Office E-mail:PA0800@jpo.go.jp |