This summer, Japan became the first country to officially link business wear with global warming. The government decided (with justification) that urging legions of suit-clad salarymen to leave their jackets and ties at home during the sweltering summer months and turn up office thermostats to 28 °C (82 °F) would cut Japan's greenhouse gas emissions—with full adoption by businesses, reducing carbon dioxide emissions over a single summer by between 1.6 and 2.9 million tons. The unlikely proposal was called "Cool Biz."
   For individuals, the problem was that, in a country where "office casual" means taking off your jacket, the change was hard to swallow. For many, dressing the part is a prerequisite for playing the part, and wearing a coat and tie is essential to many men's professional identities. Attending a meeting in the same style clothes you wore Saturday at the shopping mall just seemed weird—and, with no tradition defining what is an acceptable Cool Biz wardrobe, some wearers looked as weird as they felt. Furthermore, shorn of their jacket and tie armor, managers were afraid they looked too much like after-work salarymen out for a night on the town—or worse, like they had been laid off.
   Workers who chose to opt out of the program faced higher than normal office temperatures. Not only that, but a jacket and tie were still called for when visiting outside offices, so ironically, people suffered in the heat—despite the program's chilly sounding name.
   In a newspaper survey, 67.5% of companies this summer had adopted the Cool Biz thermostat setting. Based on the estimate of potential savings, over one-million tons of CO₂ may have been saved. Additionally, major Tokyo department stores reported excellent year-on-year sales increases in their menswear departments. The stores welcomed the announced start of Warm Biz on October 1. With thermostats set at 20 °C (68 °F), it is not too early to stock up on long underwear, waistcoats and sweaters!