Updating How We See the World Through the Value of "Ethical" | Rika Sueyoshi (Graduated from the Faculty of Policy Management in 1999)

2024.01.19

Rika Sueyoshi

Representative Director, Ethical Association Japan

PR Ambassador, Japanese National Commission for UNESCO

Graduated from the Faculty of Policy Management in 1999

I founded the Ethical Association Japan and am engaged in activities to raise awareness of the word and concept of "ethical." As you know, the world is facing a multitude of problems that must be considered on a global scale, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and human rights violations. However, these issues often feel too large in scope, and while we may recognize them as problems, it's not uncommon to feel lost about what to do or how to think about them on an individual level. In response, we are working to convey to as many people as possible that, from the standpoint of consumers, it is possible to become part of the solution by making a commitment through our daily lives.

By closely examining the processes through which the things we eat and wear every day reach us, we can re-evaluate our choices as consumers. When choosing between two products in a store, consumers were once thought to select the "cheaper" or "better value" option. However, ethical consumption introduces another criterion: an axis of which product is "more just" or "better." Knowing the story behind a product—whether it considers people and the planet, such as by avoiding unfair exploitation or the irreversible depletion of resources before it reaches our hands—leads to an update in our very approach to consumption. I believe the concept of "ethical" is the key to connecting our individual choices with the issues that need to be addressed on a global scale.

The activities of the Ethical Association are about providing "opportunities to learn." Our Ethical Concierge course, which we have been running since the association's founding, encourages participants to think about achieving a sustainable world from within their own lives, and we invite leading figures from various fields to serve as instructors. As an educational program for re-evaluating consumer life, it has been attended by over 15,000 people to date.

In parallel, I also give lectures, and I have received an increasing number of requests from local governments, educational institutions, and companies. It is crucial that not only consumers but also businesses change, and I believe that being in a position to work directly with both sides allows for a more three-dimensional understanding of the ethical concept.

To leverage the knowledge we have gained from this position, we are strengthening our collaboration with various government agencies. By serving as a member on councils and study groups for various ministries, we also play a role in making our voices heard by the national and local governments, aiming for a sustainable society through more practical laws and systems.

I believe my experience as a "Mystery Hunter" on the TV show "Sekai Fushigi Hakken!" (TBS) was a major catalyst for my empathy with the value of being ethical. While visiting places known as the world's unexplored regions, I witnessed firsthand how beautiful nature and vulnerable people were being sacrificed for the power and profit of a select few.

The biggest shock came from my experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2004. At the summit of Kilimanjaro, at an altitude of about 6,000 meters, there are glaciers, but they were shrinking rapidly due to the effects of global warming. The meltwater from the glaciers is part of the domestic water supply for the villages at the foot of the mountain, so the shrinking of the glaciers was a matter of life and death for them. When I visited an elementary school at the 1,900-meter mark and saw children planting trees one by one while praying, it was a heart-wrenching sight.

The glaciers I actually saw at the summit of Kilimanjaro had shrunk to about 10 to 20 percent of their size 100 years ago, which was a huge shock. But at the same time, the view from the summit reinforced my belief that everything on Earth is connected. I resolved to take action myself, believing that there must be something I could do, even for a global-scale problem.

The SDGs are goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. "Ethical," on the other hand, refers to the fundamental value that underpins the achievement of those goals. The literal translation is "moral" or "ethical," and its scope is broad.

When I talk about the SDGs with people from companies, the conversation often turns to something like, "We are working on goals number X and Y," but the actual issues are not that clear-cut. All problems are interconnected, so to avoid "missing the forest for the trees," solving these challenges requires a comprehensive view that encompasses environmental, social, and economic aspects.

When asked, "What is 'ethical'?" I explain it as "thinking carefully about the impact." In a world where there is no "always correct answer," it means thinking about how to make the world even a little bit better. If we, as consumers, can take the lead in fostering this attitude of continuous thinking, the world will undoubtedly change.

I was in the 6th graduating class of SFC, and at that time, "paradigm shift" was our slogan. To be honest, it didn't really click with me back then, but I feel like I'm starting to understand its meaning now. A paradigm shift doesn't envision the world as an extension of the past; it requires a completely new transformation. It requires a perspective that doesn't view things within existing frameworks but rather considers them in a cross-disciplinary and composite manner.

During my student years, Professor Atsushi Kusano's courses on international relations and international cooperation left a strong impression on me. His classes, which later inspired programs like "Hakunetsu Kyoshitsu" (Incandescent Classroom) on NHK, were not based on a "teacher/student" relationship but progressed mainly through dialogue among students. A class where the instructor acts as a facilitator must have been groundbreaking for a university faculty at the time.

The world is now on the verge of a major transformation. While global challenges are piling up, there is also a shared perspective on how to address them. Thinking about the best course of action in response to rapidly changing circumstances—I believe this is the attitude required of us as we live in the times to come.

I believe that SFC, where I studied, was a place of learning rich in diversity. Although the word "diversity" was not in common use at the time, the attitude of each person pursuing their own interests and the respect shown for it truly made me feel the nature of a diverse society.

In that sense, spending my student years at SFC may have been significant for thinking about what society should be like in the future. As a student, I wasn't particularly socially conscious, and I think I made many choices that I now consider to have been wrong. The me of back then could never have imagined that I would be involved in these kinds of activities today. However, when I recall SFC's emphasis on diversity, I feel that this very spirit is something that still underlies who I am today.

Diversity is not just about "you be you, and I'll be me." It is a state where everyone takes ownership of their respective issues and respects that in others. It could be said that what SFC nurtures is precisely this sense of ownership. I'm sure everyone shares the understanding that the current situation is critical. The one to change it is not "someone else," but "me." The moment everyone takes ownership of this problem, the world will surely change dramatically.