This is a system in which points are accumulated when a person buys or uses a product or service that helps to reduce garbage, save energy, or reduce emissions of CO2. Accumulated points can then be exchanged for products or other things. The Ministry of the Environment solicited model projects for eco points nationwide in 2008. It adopted four national models, including a project by JCB, a major credit card company, and nine regional models, including a project that serves as an administrative body for a “Kyoto CO2 reduction bank.”