Posts Tagged ‘business’

You may have seen this logo at a UNIQLO store near you. It is the logo for UNIQLO’s All-Product Recycling Initiative. The amount of clothes collected in March topped 1 million items – a commendable milestone even for a brand with 777 stores nationwide (as of June 2009). (more…)

GLOBE BANK

There is a new social benefit website that is the subject of much praise from creators and designers. ‘Globe Bank’ began in July as part of the CSR program of Konica Minolta. A fusion of fun, art, and social contribution, the website is slowly gaining in popularity.

(more…)

Yvon Chouinard, founder of outdoor clothing company Patagonia

Patagonia is a high quality outdoor wear company that gives one percent of its profits to organizations that work to protect the environment.
Like the company Interface Floors, Patagonia is often held up as an example of what a sustainable company can and should be. This time Patagonia’s founder has come to Japan to share his perspective on green businesses.

This opportunity was made possible by the business magazine Alterna through their organizing of the Green Media Alliance of which greenz.jp is a member of. The event took place on July, 27th in front of a crowded house of 250 people at the Toyo Keizai Newspaper Company Hall.

The crowd listening to Yvon Chouinard’s presentation

Supporting Walmart

Patagonia is now working with to help Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, to develop green strategies for the company. Walmart is the parent company of the Japanese department store Seiyu. Walmart is such a large company that there are only 10 countries in the world that have larger economies. The company has been critisized for paying low wages to workers and for destroying economies of the towns they enter.

“During last year’s economic crisis, it became clear what will happen in the end to that companies that operate on pure greed. In the United States, under President Obama things are going in a better direction. Three years ago, the CEO of Walmart came to Patagonia’s office and told me that they want become the leader in green business,” says Mr. Chouinard

In the fall of last year at a company meeting, Walmart announced its aims for the company to 1200 buyers. “From now on, we will judge our clients’ environmental policies, and we will aim to have a firm understanding of the raw materials, manufacturing processes, labor fairness and the economic impact of all the products we sell,” they announced.
They went on to say, “If we do not make a shift to become a green business, we will end up in the same situation as GM, who was afraid to change and in the end went bankrupt.” They expressed a serious sense of an impending danger.

Yvon Chouinard during the lecture

“Consumers, especially 18 to 26 year olds who are called Generation Y, are not dazzled by advertising and choose good products by observing them for themselves.
These good products have a low impact on the environment, are made justly, and are quality products. The money in these young peoples’ wallets is a vote they cast when they buy something,“Mr. Chouinard said.

Now, Walmart is in the process of specifying the environmental impact and the health impacts of every single one of its products. The company is making a system so consumers can tell with one glance which salt is best for you or which t.v. has the lowest impact on the environment. Government initiative regarding labeling are slow to be implemented so the company is being proactive and implementing a system themselves.

Walmart is know for its slogan “Everyday Low Price,” but being the world’s largest retailer the company has realized price is not the only standard for consumption. Also, the manufactures that supply Walmart with products have realized, even if they don’t want to, that they must be aware of the environment and justice as in relation to their products.

If tag on a product states that the environmental impact is high, then consumers might begin to pass the product by. Products at Walmart are not high-class products like Patagonia, so having these tags on low-cost products will make the impact of the tags all the larger because the will be seen by more people and on products that many people buy. If Patagonia’s support of Walmart translates into a successful reform of the business, then it will become a great example for other companies and show that the environment and business can be compatible.

The Economic Crisis is the Best Chance for Change

Many people in Japan have the image that environmental protection and sustainability have an unnecessary cost. During the question and answer period someone commented, “Even if individuals have consciousness about sustainability, when it comes down to it, companies put profits first.
What should we do about that?”

Chouinard and partivipants in a discussion

Mr. Chouinard replied, “In order to solve all the numerous problems we have in the world, it is necessary to change our direction and become more forward looking. I am often asked a similar question by many people, but conversely I ask them ‘Do you want to sit in front of a computer screen all day? Or do you want to go out and take care of your garden, or make a beautiful object with your own hands?’ That is the only thing I can say when asked that question.”

It comes across as a Zen dialogue, which is using a question to answer a question, but I think Mr. Chouinard has revealed the true essence of green business. If you steal from the earth, destroy the environment, and sacrifice your conscience for making money, then you and the business you have made will eventually be destroyed too. Green business is not just plain marketing, it is the wisdom and way to live in harmony with a world that has limits. With business, our eyes are easily dazzled by gains and profits, but “what are the real things we should be protecting?” asks Mr. Chouinard

Even Toyota, which boasts the world’s highest productivity standard, now, is suffering after two quarters in the red. Mr. Chouinard states, “In North America, Toyota continued to make large SUVs that have bad fuel consumption.” This is the result of pursuing profits and ignoring sustainability. So it seems that now is the time where the profit supremacy business model is proving to be a failure.

“The economic crisis is the best chance we have. Companies that try to beat everyone else are one by one are disappearing,” says Mr. Chouinard. Pategonia on the other hand, this year, had its largest sales ever. What Mr. Chouinard says is the same as Ray Anderson, the founder of Interface Floors, “We will beat companies that try to compete and we will win with the environment.”

“Patagonia’s shareholder is the earth. Our business standard is what is right for the environment,” says Mr. Chouinard, addressing the main point of green businesses.

The end of the question period. From left to right, Patagonia Japan branch office director Takayuki Tsuji, Yvon Chouinard, translator Lisa Ita, and Alterna editor-in-chief Setsu Mori.

This article has been translated from the original Japanese post

In preparation for the 1300 anniversary of the relocation of the ancient capital next year, all of Nara prefecture is excited, and to add to their excitement is a new green hotel right in the middle of downtown. Let’s take a look at this green hotel, that really lives up to its namesake, before it opens to everyone else.

The hotel will be born as Super Hotel LOHAS JR Nara Station in the enviable place of 10 minutes from the station’s main gate on March 13th. Super Hotel is a giant chain of business hotels which has over 87 locations throughout Japan. And now, with their new “LOHAS” brand they have set out strong with a new environmental effort.

An artist’s rendering of the Super Hotel LOHAS at JR Nara station

The most distinguished feature of this hotel is its “Eco Stay.” By signing up for the Eco Stay via their website you can offset the CO2 created by your stay at the hotel.

An advertisement for the Eco Stay

According to the carbon offset provider gConscious, the plan was envisioned to be used for green energy enterprises of advanced nations. The hotel, as well as having carbon offsets, uses natural raw materials like 100% diatoms, a type of algae in its interior design and offers natural, additive-free bread and local vegetables for breakfast. There are so many things here to appeal to the LOHAS conscious inclined.

Actually, this is not the first time Super Hotel has undertaken an environmental effort for their hotels. Not only did Super Hotels announce they would curb the 6.82 kg of co2 that is created from a night’s stay, and implement an energy and water conservation based low energy plan, they also began trash reduction and recycling plans over ten years ago. The results of these efforts are that over half of Super Hotel’s offices and hotels have received the international standard for environmental systems management, ISO 14001.

The first step of their environmental plans was doing away with the disposable razors and combs. Then they closed the hotel restaurants, replaced the toilet paper with recycled toilet paper, replaced the tea bags with powdered tea, replaced the light bulbs with inverter bulbs, and after all that they did away with hotel-wide, central air conditioning for single room air conditioners. For a hotel, this is probably about the limit they can do . This might be just about everything you could do to make a hotel more environmentally friendly, I think. You can really see the pay off of their unrelenting efforts. All this in total is what Super Hotel calls “Super Eco.” Check it out in detail here.

The opening of the new Super Hotel LOHAS JR Nara Station establishes it as the new ultimate institution amongst all eco conscious hotels of the Super Hotel fleet. I think we can say, this is truly a grand compilation of all the eco efforts that are out there for environmentally friendly hotels.

When we choose a hotel, the location and cost are most likely the things we look for, but from now on let’s include one more thing in our search; an eco standard. I think we would have a good stay and a new, different kind of enjoyment on our holidays if we spend some time in a place like this.

This article has been translated from the original Japanese post

RF1 ‘French Potato Gratin’

Mmmm, that looks delicious! How often I have heard this at the delicatessens, ubiquitous in the basement of Japanese department stores. These delis have just become a little greener with the introduction of ‘Okaeri Plate’ (‘welcome home plate’).

In the basement of the Takashimaya department store, there is limited offer until March 10, where you can get a gift for each plate returned. The aim: to change peoples attitude towards disposable packaging.

On the menu is ‘French Potato Gratin’, and ‘Mushroom Hamburg Doria’. Served in porcelain dishes, the meals can be taken home and conveniently heated in the microwave or oven and served as is, eliminating the need for disposable containers or transferring the meal to another dish to serve.

After eating, the dishes are then washed and returned to the store, where an RF1 quiche, or other gift will be received as a ‘return present’. Served in a paper bag, these also save another plastic tray from the garbage.

This is a join initiative with Takashimaya, Rock Field (who run the RF1 western deli food brand), and Kyoto Eco Container and Packaging / product promotion group as part of the Environment Ministry ‘2008 regional container packaging garbage 3R promotion project’. The initiative will run until March 10 at the RF1 deli in the Takashimaya Kyoto, Takashimaya Tokyo, and Takashimaya Tamagawa stores. Plates must be returned by March 31.

According to Takehara, marketing manger of Rock Field, who operate RF1, only around 10% of the dishes were returned in the first two weeks. This may sound low, but the original idea was to use porcelain instead of paper dishes to improve the taste of the meals, so it doesn’t matter if people keep the dishes and use them at home. Even if they aren’t returned, as long as they are being used, this will reduce garbage in the end. By moving away from plastic packaging that is easy to throw away, this is an experiment to see how these dishes will end up getting reused.
Rock Field has a history of environmental initiatives, selling lunch boxes in paper trays called P Eco Box, and using organic ingredients. By surveying users this time, they hope to expand their environmental reach.

The Japanese lifestyle produces huge amounts of waste. However as environmental awareness increases, slowly but surely this amount is decreasing. According to the 2006 Environment Ministry ‘Survey of Businesses Dealing With Regular Waste’, the amount of waste produced per capita in Japan has dropped 6% from its peak in 2000.
However, by reassessing our lifestyle, there is still room to reduce so much more waste.

Around 60% (by volume) of household waste is said to be packaging. Take a look in your own garbage bin and you’ll realize the impact of reducing this waste.
Here are three ways to reduce waste from packaging.
1: Reduce the amount of packaging (on the production side, or by refusing extra packaging, etc)
2: Use your own goods instead of disposable ones (cups, shopping bags, etc)
3: Reuse containers (as with cups and plates at some events)
With the recession keeping more people at home, the amount of waste is sure to grow along with the increase in take out and take home meals. The second idea seems to be the logical method to reduce waste from delis, but this time the third idea, reusing, may be the key to success.

A dish to suite each meal! Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by Patrick Q

As with the gratin introduced above, each meal requires an appropriate dish. Providing dishes for the customer eliminates the problems of size and spillage that would accompany people bringing their own dishes. It’s almost like shopping at a restaurant rather than a deli. Taking delicious food home in its own dish, and returning the dish after use is reminiscent of the old style delivery service in Japan.
If you often find yourself buying food at department store delis, why not give ‘Okaeri Plate’ a try. By coming up with new ways that fit our evolving lifestyles, we can make progress on the garbage issue in Japan.
What will your first step be?

This article is translated from the original Japanese post

Imagine happening upon a cow as you strolled through the woods. Now, traditionally cows belong on farms, so this may seem a little odd to some people.
AMITA Corporation, a leading company in the environmental business, has focused recent efforts on the ‘forest’. This photo shows their new, bold attempt at raising cows in the forest – aptly named ‘Forest Farming’. What does AMITA see in the forest, and what are they trying to create there? Let’s take a closer look.
In this new style of dairy farming, cows are left to roam the forest 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. While helping to keep the forest maintained, income is raised through ‘Forest Milk’ and ‘Forest Ice Cream’ made from fresh cows milk.
So, why the forest?
What first got the attention of AMITA was the increasing issue of forests that had been neglected due to the slump in timber prices, and the aging forestry workforce. The ‘Forest Farming’ business began as an attempt to put into practice ‘Forest Dairy Farming’ techniques, where cows are used to manage the forest. Mismanaged forests are a nationwide issue, forcing local municipalities, such as in Osaka and Kagawa, to announce policies to deal with management of such forests. Unsustainable as plantations alone, the idea was to add extra value to these forests.
However, rather than pouring cash into maintaining the forest, a natural model has been created with the help of bio-mass electricity plants, a craft center, and cow shed based on the idea that there is ‘no waste in nature’. With the aid of local residents and other supporters, a business was formed while breathing new life into a neglected forest.

The natural cycle model at ‘Tango Forest Farm’

So, how do the cows spend their days in the forest? Here is a photo of a cow passing time in the ‘Tango Forest Farm’, which opened in 2007.

The cow looks at peace with the world, resting in the shade of a tree. Strangely enough, forests and dairy farming don’t seem so incompatible after all. Here the cows can munch on as much vegetation as they care, walk where they like, and sleep where they fancy. Offspring are also bred and raised naturally. The cows live in a natural environment, as outlined in the ‘cow pledge’. Rather than being managed and ‘bred’ by humans, the cows ‘live’ their lives, somehow appearing stronger.
And how does the milk from these healthy mothers taste? Well, the ‘Milk of the Forest’, which is available for purchase, has a mild green tint to it due to the grasses and leaves the cow eats! You can enjoy the very essence of nature in every glass.
There are other merits to raising cows in the forest. They not only keep weeds in check, but their hooves stamp dead branches and leaves into the ground. Paths created by the cows allow people easy access to further maintain the forest. It seems as though cows and humans have each other in mind as they go about their business. This connection found in the forest gives validity to what AMITA calls ‘turning relationships into business’.
July 25 brings the long awaited opening of ‘Nasu Forest Farm’. Plans are in the works to build a café and camping area, developing scope to expand business to sightseeing and educational visits. There will be ice cream tasting on the opening day, so why not get your hiking boots on and head to Nasu? Details are available on the ‘Nasu Forest Farm Special Site’.
Future forest projects include ‘Forest Rice’, ‘Forest Grains’, and ‘Forest Vegetables’. What other ‘Forest …’ can you imagine? The potential is limitless.
Let’s take another look at the AMITA mission statement:
‘No event is isolated. All events are interdependently correlated…
We declare
Within the grand system of life, for humans to be recognized as able to exist mutually, we must make the realization of a sustainable society our top priority, and build new relationships by prioritizing the creation of sustainable closed loop systems.’
As long as there are things in this world that have become disconnected or isolated, or deemed wasteful, I’m sure AMITA will find a business model to connect them again. Maybe this is a process of returning life on earth to a state that existed before humans began breaking the connections.
AMITA, bringing ‘connectedness’ back to society through business.
Keep your eyes on this eco-business as it continues to show the way to a sustainable future.

This article is translated from the original Japanese post.

The ‘Power Generating Floor®’: Generating electricity from vibration

Soundpower Corporation has created a business by generating electricity from the sound and vibrations that fill our daily lives. ‘Power Generating Floors®’ that generate electricity from the vibrating floors of busy train station gates, or roads with heavy pedestrian traffic, and ‘Sound Power Generators™’ that turn sounds such as peoples voices into electricity are just two of their unique innovations that have been turning heads.
The idea of utilizing this hitherto ‘wasted energy’ as electricity gives us great hope for the possibility of creating a new infrastructure of renewable energy.
However there appears to be much more to the business than just this. Let’s take a closer look at the social implications and possibilities hidden in the Soundpower business.
A key concept when discussing Soundpower is ‘decentralized power generation’; creating power where it is needed, rather than at a large faraway power plant. This, in a sense, is the electrical version of ‘local production for local consumption’. Decentralizing power means that huge losses in transmitting and transforming electricity are reduced, and cogeneration using waste heat is more viable. It also has an edge over other forms of natural energy that are susceptible to changes in the elements.
‘Power Generating Floors®’ that create energy for reading IC cards from the vibration in train station gate floors, and ‘Sound Power Generators™’ that use ones voice to recharge mobile phone batteries as one speaks are potentially very important developments in enabling greater decentralized power generation.
The concept is not only unique, but also practical. The solar powered mobile phone introduced previously had a drawback in that the user had to make sure the phone was in a suitable environment for charging. In comparison, voice power makes use of a resource that is never is short supply around a telephone. The idea was conceived from the source of energy itself, rather than the telephone, and appears to be a winner.

The ‘Sound Power Generator™’ enables your mobile phone to charge as you talk

Another great potential for decentralized power generation is the use as a ubiquitous energy source. In a ubiquitous society, communication devices exist everywhere, and the challenge of keeping them powered is an ongoing issue. If, for example, a vibration generator was installed in the bottom of ones shoes, the energy could be stored and used to power any manner of small communication devices. As with the aforementioned mobile phone, a future where one can supply their own power needs may be within sight.
Exciting possibilities also exist for use in noise and vibration reduction, and emergency situations. Using sound or vibration to create energy leads to a reduction in the amount of sound or vibration emitted. This would create a win-win situation if used to reduce unwanted noise or vibration. A potential example would be installing ‘Sound Power Generators™’ in sound proofed walls, contributing to insulation, and creating energy to be used in the recording studio. Also, because vibration is caused when people or objects move, there is potential to use this technology in security or other detection systems.

‘Hatsuden Night’: A dance event creating electricity by dancing

The widely publicized Shibuya Hachiko Power Floor® Experiment (December, ’08), Nihombashi Participatory Illumination (December, ’08), and ‘Hatsuden Night’ (‘electricity generating night’) dance event are all examples of how this technology is catching on, not only as a fad, but with real social impact. Plans are currently under way for large-scale generation from roads and train lines.
Soundpower technology can already be seen in action at various events. When this technology becomes commercially viable, the future for renewable, decentralized power generation is sure to light up. Here’s hoping the Soundpower business will lead the way towards a world of new energy.

This article is translated from the original Japanese post.

Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by Worldfrank

On June 2, 2009, Japan Post Service of the Japan Post Group made the first step towards their commitment to switch all 21,000 collection vehicles to electric (EVs). Introduction of the EVs will begin in earnest at the end of July.
40 EVs will be introduced in fiscal ’09 for business use. Mitsubishi Motors and Fuji Heavy Industries will each provide 20 of the first mass produced models at the end of July. These will be based at branches around the Kanagawa area, which is well equipped with re-charging facilities. The vehicles will be used on lease, with the prospect of expanding to EVs for collection of mail and small parcels, depending on future developments in the vehicles.
With a high price tag, it pays to be careful about committing outright to EVs. A Kei (light) class EV retails for around 4.6 million yen, or 3.2 million yen with subsidies – around the same price one would expect to pay for a luxury car. Additionally, a full charge takes around 14 hours, making it rather inconvenient for private use. (See Mitsubishi i-MiEV for details)
Japan Post (JP) Service has announced plans to install EV quick charge devices in parking lots at around 1,000 post offices nationwide. If access to the public is granted, as is being considered, this will be a huge boost for the spread of EVs. This may also strengthen JP Service a main pillar of the JP Group.
JP Service currently owns around 26,000 vehicles nationwide, and is considering a change to environmentally friendly vehicles. They are continuing tests of regular gasoline vehicles converted to electric for collection runs. While contributing to the spread of EVs, JP Service is also looking to expand it’s own business. Let’s wait and see where they go from here.

This article is translated from the original Japanese post.