OSAKA, JAPAN -- The inaugural meeting of the Asian Productivity Organization’s (APO’s) annual Green Productivity Advisory (GPA) Council was successfully convened from 14 to 15 April 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

The GPA Council, chaired by Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo Ryoichi Yamamoto, comprises members from Fiji, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand and advises APO Secretary-General Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata on the development of a solution-based, action-oriented, Asia-centric GP 2.0 Ecosystem.

Secretary-General Dr. Indra reported the progress made by the Secretariat in conceptualizing the GP 2.0 Ecosystem, as well as three of its seven elements: the GP rating system; GP guidebooks; and GP mapping. In addition, prototypes of the GP rating system and GP mapping were unveiled and demonstrated to the GPA Council for the first review. Council members and their representatives provided insightful feedback and suggested adjustments to improve the overall design of the GP 2.0 Ecosystem and its elements.

The significance of the GPA Council’s efforts to incorporate the principles of GP, as defined by Professor Yamamoto in 1994, into the GP 2.0 Ecosystem was underscored at the Special Presentation Session held at the Blue Ocean Dome (BOD), EXPO 2025 Osaka, on the evening of 14 April, where council members highlighted past and present national efforts in implementing sustainability initiatives in the spirit of GP in Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand, while looking toward the GP 2.0 Ecosystem. The session included welcome remarks from President of ZERI Japan Yusuke Saraya, host of the BOD session; opening remarks by GPA Council Chair Professor Yamamoto; a video message delivered by H.E. Agni Deo Singh, Minister for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations of Fiji; and live presentations by council members and their representatives.

In his address, Guest of Honor Vice Minister of National Development Planning of Indonesia (BAPPENAS) Febrian A. Ruddyard emphasized the importance of green transformation and GP to achieve sustainable growth without exacerbating the immense pressure that the environment was already experiencing after decades of industrialization. The Special Presentation Session concluded with closing remarks by APO Secretary-General Dr. Indra, followed by a video highlighting the remarkable achievements of Biofarma, a pharmaceutical manufacturer from Indonesia, as a current example of GP in action demonstrating how the application of proven GP techniques had led not only to enhanced productivity but also to saving lives.

As the GPA Council reconvened on the morning of 15 April, presentations were given by two guest lecturers, which helped broaden the deliberations on the strategic direction of GP 2.0. A final set of recommendations on the development of the GP 2.0 Ecosystem was agreed upon that will guide the APO Secretariat’s efforts in the coming year. These recommendations will also be reported at the 67th Session of the APO Governing Body to be held in Jakarta in May 2025.