Super Cool Biz in Japan

I saw a thought provoking report on CNN about “Cool Biz” in Japan (Japan’s “cool” summer dress code – Business 360 – CNN.com Blogs.)

The initiative, which encourages Japanese companies to reduce their electricity consumption during the sweltering summer months was launched by the then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2005. However, it really took off due to the energy crisis caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.  Faced with a sudden 30% reduction in the country’s energy supply, all facets of Japanese society were faced with prioritising energy use. Over 50% of businesses adopted Super Cool Biz as a means of energy conservation. The most striking change has been business men and women swapping their dark suits for bright aloha shirts. As well as the loosening of business dress codes, work patterns have changed to lessen the burden on the electricity grid. Creative and entrepreneurial minds have been quick to supply a line of cooling products including special clothing and cooling sprays.

Super Cool Biz is proof that a collective small adjustment in our choices can produce astonishing results. We have the ability to anticipate challenges, so we should not leave it to a catastrophic disaster to jolt us into action. The vast well of creativity is underutilised, and we must work to release its potential, for that is where the solutions to the challenges of the 21st century are concealed.