Thirteen participants from 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region convened at the APO Secretariat to attend the Workshop on the Development of the International Green Productivity Advisory Committee (I-GPAC) on 28 November 2016.

Since the APO established the GPAC in 2003 to accelerate GP activities in close cooperation with leading Japanese companies, GPAC activities have expanded internationally with the establishment of GPACs in the ROC and Sri Lanka. Their interactions facilitate learning from each other and contribute to synergy in GP initiatives throughout the region.

At the opening session of the workshop, APO Secretary-General Santhi Kanoktanaporn welcomed participants and hoped that it “will create a platform for deliberation and brainstorming on how APO members can collaborate and develop a sustainable society through the expansion of GPACs in their countries.”

The three-day workshop focuses on the Paris Agreement, sustainable and ethical consumption, ecolabeling and ecomark programs, and the Japanese Green Purchasing network led by University of Tokyo Professor Emeritus Ryoichi Yamamoto and other experts from the Eco Mark Office, Kao Corporation, Fujitsu Limited, and Green Purchasing Network. Representatives of the China Productivity Center and National Productivity Secretariat of Sri Lanka will also present an overview of GP activities in their countries. The workshop also includes site visit to electrical and electronic waste recycler and consultant Re-tem Corporation and Toshiba Science Museum.