31st January
Benoit Granier
Lyon Institute of East Asian Studies, Sciences Po Paris and DEMAND Visitor
Pathways of change: Cool Biz and the reconditioning of energy demand in office life
In 2005 the Japanese government introduced ‘Cool Biz’ – a policy designed to reduce CO2 emissions by changing office dress codes (removing jacket and tie) and limiting the amount of energy used for air-conditioning. Cool Biz is now widely recognised as an impressively effective measure, reportedly avoiding 2.2 million tons of carbon emissions in 2012. What made Cool Biz so successful and what can we learn from this case?