[Event Report] CEO Renji Hirase Speaks at Seminar for Morioka Area Businesses: 'Introduction to Sustainable Management'

Sustainable Lab Inc. participated as a cooperating company in the seminar for businesses in the Morioka area, titled 'Introduction to Sustainable Management ~Towards a Future-Connected, Chosen Local Company~', held on May 21, 2026, and CEO Renji Hirase took the stage.

This seminar was jointly organized by Morioka City and the Bank of Iwate. It was aimed at business owners, managers, corporate planning personnel, and those interested in SDGs/ESG in Morioka City and its suburbs. The purpose was to learn methods for incorporating sustainability challenges such as climate change, human rights, and resource circulation into management strategy, risk management, and business activities to ensure long-term corporate growth.

On the day, the event featured a keynote speech by the Tohoku Regional Environment Office, a lecture by Sustainable Lab's Hirase, case study presentations by local companies, and introductions of initiatives by financial institutions.

Background of the Seminar

The business environment surrounding local companies is undergoing significant changes. Companies are increasingly required to address multifaceted management challenges, including rising raw material and energy costs, difficulty in hiring, population decline, and demands from business partners regarding environmental and human rights issues. In this context, sustainable management is gaining attention not as mere social contribution but as a management method for local companies to visualize their strengths and leverage them in recruitment, retention, transactions, dialogue with financial institutions, and business succession. This seminar shared the concepts and practical methods for local companies to start sustainable management without strain, under the theme 'Towards a Future-Connected, Chosen Local Company'.

Main Content of Hirase's Lecture

In his lecture, Hirase explained that 'sustainable management is not a social contribution only for companies with surplus resources, but a visualization of management for local companies to survive, be chosen, and grow.' He particularly introduced five practical benefits of sustainable management for local companies:

- Improved Recruitment Capability: Providing material for young and specialized talent to want to work there.
- Improved Retention Rate: Visualizing efforts for a good work environment and valuing human resources, leading to employee satisfaction and engagement.
- Improved Ability to Explain to Business Partners: Creating a state where the company can explain its initiatives in response to requests from large corporations, local governments, and public procurement regarding environment, decarbonization, and human rights.
- Advanced Dialogue with Financial Institutions: Organizing non-financial information, which is hard to see from financial data alone, to use as a common language for loans, subsidies, and management improvement.
- Appeal to Successors and Business Succession: Clarifying the company's raison d'être, relationship with the community, and value to be passed on to the next generation.

He also introduced a tripartite collaboration model involving Yahaba Town, the Bank of Iwate, and Sustainable Lab, utilizing the non-financial information visualization platform 'TERRAST for Enterprise (T4E)'. This initiative was shared with participants as a foundation-building effort to visualize the non-financial information of local companies, enabling local governments, financial institutions, and companies to engage in dialogue from the same perspective.

Furthermore, the lecture presented examples from the transportation and construction industries that have turned sustainability into a competitive advantage. Hirase emphasized that 'it is important not to start with large investments or specialized knowledge, but first to organize your own initiatives, correctly understand your position, and then use that for dialogue inside and outside the company.'

Participant Survey Results

After the seminar, a participant survey conducted by Morioka City confirmed high overall evaluations based on 37 valid responses.

The overall satisfaction rate was 91.9%, with 29.7% 'very satisfied' and 62.2% 'satisfied'. There were no negative responses such as 'dissatisfied' or 'somewhat dissatisfied'.

The overall meaningfulness rate was 83.7%, with 37.8% finding it 'very meaningful' and 45.9% 'meaningful'.

Regarding understanding of the concept and application of non-financial data (sustainability information), 91.9% responded that they had 'sufficient' or 'some' understanding. For the specific case studies, 97.2% were 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied', indicating that explanations using examples familiar to local companies facilitated understanding.

Regarding initiatives for 'visualization' within their own companies, 81.0% responded that they 'definitely want to try' or 'would like to try if given the opportunity'.

Specific future actions mentioned in responses included 'organizing our own initiatives' and 'using or showing interest in T4E', indicating a growing interest in practical implementation among participants.

Participant Voices

Free-text comments in the survey included:

'The phrase "sustainable management is a weapon" really resonated. The content and meaning were very clear.'

'The environment felt distant from the company, but the perspective that sustainability can be enhanced through other means like management and governance was a very valuable learning point.'

'If we don't cherish and grow our local area, "Iwate" will disappear.'

'I realized that by knowing what we can do now and understanding our company, we can see what and how to do it. Everyone starts from the same place, and even if we don't know, I think we should just try first.'

These comments show that sustainable management was perceived not as a 'distant theme' but as a familiar management challenge related to the human resources, transactions, community relations, and future business continuity that local companies face.

Looking Ahead

This seminar confirmed the interest in sustainable management among local companies and the specific needs for visualizing non-financial information.

Sustainable Lab will continue to collaborate with local governments, financial institutions, and local companies to support initiatives that help local companies visualize their strengths and challenges, enabling dialogue with employees, business partners, financial institutions, and the local community.

Sustainable Lab Inc. (https://suslab.net)

The company develops and provides 'TERRAST', one of Japan's largest non-financial data platforms that uses big data and AI to quantify corporate environmental and social contributions, which are often described qualitatively. It also offers 'TERRAST for Enterprise', a tool for aggregating and analyzing non-financial/ESG data, and operates 'Terrace TV', a directory of sustainable companies. Conducting causal and correlation analysis between non-financial and financial indicators, the company aims to seamlessly connect social/environmental contributions with the economy as a non-financial big data group specializing in ESG/SDGs, composed of experts in data science, sustainability, and financial engineering.

Company Name: Sustainable Lab Inc.

CEO: Renji Hirase

Location: FINOLAB, 4th Floor, Otemachi Building, 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Business: Provision of non-financial data platforms and research and development related to corporate value including non-financial information

Established: January 2019

Official Website: https://suslab.net

[Services Provided]

'TERRAST', Japan's largest non-financial data platform for financial institutions, consulting firms, and corporate planning

'TERRAST for Enterprise', an ESG data aggregation and analysis support tool