Euglena Co.'s President Izumo Speaks at Commemorative Lecture for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus's Visit to Japan

Euglena Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Mitsuru Izumo; hereinafter 'Euglena Co.') announced that its Representative Director and President, Mitsuru Izumo, spoke at the 'YUNUS GLOBAL FORUM 2026 TOKYO' commemorative lecture for Dr. Muhammad Yunus's visit to Japan, held at the United Nations University on Thursday, March 26, 2026.

Furthermore, on March 27, the day after the lecture, Dr. Yunus visited Euglena Co. President Izumo and all his colleagues* warmly welcomed the visit of their mentor, who was the origin of the company's founding, making it two days of renewed determination for a sustainable future.

*At Euglena Group, employees are referred to as 'colleagues' who share the same aspirations.

At YUNUS GLOBAL FORUM 2026 TOKYO

Lecture: The Challenge to 'Three Zeros' with Euglena

This forum was held to commemorate the visit to Japan of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Izumo's life mentor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate as the founder of Grameen Bank.

During his student days, Izumo first visited Bangladesh for an internship at Grameen Bank, founded by Dr. Yunus. He recounted that facing severe nutritional problems there and resolving to 'find the ultimate nutrient to save children' became the driving force behind the founding of Euglena Co.

In his lecture, Izumo explained the connection between his strong original aspirations and the multifaceted businesses currently undertaken to 'make people and the earth healthy,' based on Dr. Yunus's vision of 'Three Zeros' (zero CO₂ emissions, zero poverty, zero unemployment), covering the following points:

・Bangladesh as the Origin

The nutritional problems caused by poverty that he faced as a student, and his encounter with Dr. Yunus, became the origin of Euglena Co.'s founding. These experiences led to the launch of the 'Euglena GENKI Program,' which aims to improve nutrition using cookies containing the microalga Euglena.

・Business Approach to Global Issues

In developing countries, including Bangladesh, the damage from climate change is intensifying. Izumo emphasized that Euglena Co.'s efforts to popularize biofuel are not merely technological innovation but a 'future industry' that simultaneously achieves environmental load reduction and correction of energy disparities.

・Towards a Sustainable Future

He expressed his determination to realize a sustainable circular society by combining the spirit of social business, which is 'solving social problems with the power of business,' with technology.

Three Zeros pose at YUNUS GLOBAL FORUM 2026 TOKYO

Dr. Yunus Visits Euglena Co.

On March 27, the day after the lecture, Dr. Yunus visited Euglena Co. At the office, he offered warm words of encouragement to Izumo and many other colleagues, praising Euglena Co.'s consistent commitment to the spirit of social business since its founding and its challenge to global social issues with cutting-edge technologies such as biofuel.

Dr. Yunus arriving at Euglena Co. office

Dr. Yunus and Representative Izumo

About Modern Bangladesh

Bangladesh has undergone rapid economic growth in recent years but is also facing new challenges such as severe impacts from climate change and widening economic disparities, entering a major turning point as a nation. After a political change, a new government was inaugurated in February 2026, but inflation exceeding 8% continues to pressure national life, making energy security and investment promotion urgent issues.

Not limited to Bangladesh, in such unstable social environments, the value of 'social business' advocated by Dr. Yunus, as a mechanism that can continuously aim to solve social problems in a way that is less affected by political fluctuations, is once again attracting international attention.

Euglena Co., based on Dr. Yunus's teaching of 'solving social problems through business,' will continue to contribute to solving global social issues through both nutritional support for children in Bangladesh and businesses aiming for the Three Zeros.

【Dr. Muhammad Yunus Profile】

Founder of Grameen Bank, Economist, Social Activist Born in Bangladesh in 1940. Founded Grameen Bank in 1983. Contributed to poverty reduction in his home country by supporting the self-reliance of the poor through microcredit (unsecured small loans). Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Holds a Ph.D. in Economics (Vanderbilt University). He is also one of the UN SDG Advocates. In 2021, he received the Olympic Laurel and the UN Foundation's 'Champion of Global Change Award 2021'. From August 2024 to February 2026, he served as Chief Advisor to the Interim Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. His books include 'Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty', 'A World of Three Zeros: The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions' (all from Hayakawa Shobo), among others.

＜About Euglena Co., Ltd.＞ In 2005, Euglena Co. succeeded in establishing the world's first outdoor mass cultivation technology for edible microalgae Euglena (Japanese name: Midorimushi). Defining 'Sustainability First' as the Euglena Philosophy, the company develops and sells food products, cosmetics, etc., utilizing microalgae Euglena, Chlorella, etc., manufactures and develops biofuel, and operates businesses in sustainable agritech areas utilizing unused resources. Since 2014, it has continuously implemented the 'Euglena GENKI Program' to deliver Euglena cookies rich in nutrients to children in Bangladesh.

https://euglena.jp