Shikioriori

Regarding climate change

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the world has been paying close attention to global warming caused by the rapid increase in greenhouse gases and the resulting climate change. Not only governments around the world, but also private organizations, especially the financial sector and other business groups, are concerned about the impact of climate change on the global economy, and are becoming increasingly active in taking action. In this issue, we have summarized the key points of climate change that you should know now.

Mari Yoshitaka
Chief Environmental and Social (ES) Strategist, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities

The functions and possibilities of paper, both past and future.

Paper is a familiar material in people's lives. This material, with its long history, has evolved with the times. What is demanded of paper at different times is diverse, ranging from convenience and comfort to environmental considerations. In this issue, we feature what can be done with paper, what can only be done with paper, and the possibilities of paper.

Shine Sutherland
Co-founder of the UK NGO Plastic Planet

About the Gozu factory, which produces various products from wood.

Amid growing global attention on efforts to utilize wood more effectively, we will introduce the initiatives of Nippon Paper Industries' Gozu Plant, which has long produced a variety of products, including chemical products.

Keihiko Igarashi
Associate Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo

About food packaging

Food packaging has evolved significantly with the times, and it has now become an indispensable part of our lives. And now, there is a demand for food packaging that contributes to building a sustainable society. In this issue, we will introduce the past and future of food packaging, along with the role that our paper products can play.

Takayuki Ishitani
Chairman, Japan Food Packaging Association

About new materials

Nippon Paper Group has developed a new material called "MINERPA." It is a hybrid material of minerals (inorganic compounds) and wood fibers. Using our unique manufacturing method, we have been able to create fibers with a high mineral content. We are advancing research and development of MINERPA to provide a comfortable, safe, and environmentally friendly material. This time, we will feature MINERPA.

Michinari Hamaguchi
President, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

About the circular economy

Global consumption of natural resources is increasing rapidly. If this trend continues, natural resources will eventually be depleted, and our way of life will become unsustainable. In this issue, we will introduce one solution: a "circular economy" that allows for economic development while reducing the use of depletable natural resources.

Eiji Hosoda
Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University

About the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations with the agreement of national governments, which aim to "create a better world for all," began in January 2016. Countries around the world, including Japan, are considering specific measures to achieve these goals. Corporate participation is also required in the SDGs efforts. Therefore, in this issue, we will explain the overview of the SDGs and the significance of corporate involvement.

Toshio Arima
Representative Director, Global Compact Network Japan

Climate Change and the Role of Forests

To prevent climate change on Earth, it is crucial to keep the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from increasing, and forests play a vital role as carbon sinks. This issue will focus on new international developments regarding climate change and the role of forests in this context.

Martin Eustace
President of the UK non-profit organization Two Sides

Types of greening and how their roles have changed over time

The role expected of greening is changing with the times, encompassing aspects such as preventing landslides, improving urban environments, mitigating climate change, and preserving ecosystems. In this issue, we will organize the types and roles of greening and consider what is required of greening today.

Sputniko!

Manufacturing chemical raw materials from wood

Nippon Paper Industries is participating in a research project that aims to replace petroleum-based raw materials for chemical products such as plastics with wood, a renewable resource. This issue features this project, which is being advanced across different industries and transcends the boundaries between industry, government, and academia.

Yoshizumi Ishihara

About wood as a building material

With technological advancements leading to increased attention on large-scale wooden construction worldwide, Japan is also seeing a shift towards wooden architecture in line with changes in national policy. This is partly driven by expectations of increased demand for domestically produced timber, and we will also introduce the initiatives of the Nippon Paper Group related to this.

Shigeru Ban

Various initiatives stemming from plant rooting technology

To cultivate trees suitable for papermaking and seedlings that inherit the same traits, Nippon Paper Industries focused on the cuttings technique, which has been used in agriculture and horticulture for centuries. Through extensive research, they succeeded in developing "in-container cuttings technology," which enhances the photosynthetic capacity of plants and promotes rooting. This time, we will introduce this technology and the initiatives related to revitalizing agriculture and contributing to society, utilizing the knowledge gained through its development.

KIKI

Forestry in Japan

Forests provide numerous benefits to our lives, including the supply of resources, water conservation, and prevention of landslides and global warming. Despite two-thirds of Japan's land being covered by forests, the use of domestically produced timber is not progressing, the Japanese forestry industry is in decline, and the amount of neglected forests is increasing. This article will introduce the background to these problems and the story of the revitalization of Japan's forests and forestry industry, which is being undertaken by the government and companies.

Shion Miura

cellulose

In recent years, there has been growing interest in using wood, a renewable resource, to address social issues such as climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels. Among these, cellulose nanofiber is attracting particular attention. This is a new material created by breaking down the fibers that make up wood to the nanoscale, and its characteristics include being "stronger than iron and lighter than plant fiber." This issue features cellulose nanofiber.

Randy Taguchi

A paper mill that also functions as a power plant.

Paper mills have long had a system in place to generate energy not only from wood for paper production, but also by burning the by-product "black liquor." Paper mills also play the role of power plants that generate energy from "wood," a renewable resource. The Nippon Paper Group will leverage its strengths, such as its infrastructure and power generation expertise, to supply electricity, which is essential to our lives, using renewable woody raw materials.

Iruka

"Wood" that we use in our daily lives

At Nippon Paper Group, we utilize wood, a renewable resource, to supply a variety of products that support daily life and society, including paper, textiles for clothing, and food additives. In this issue, as part of our "Nippon Paper Group in Everywhere" series, we introduce various products made from wood that are found around us.

Kosetsu Minami

Cherry blossom preservation

Throughout Japan, there are many precious cherry trees with a long history that we want to preserve for future generations. However, some of them are weakening due to old age and are on the verge of dying. Nippon Paper Industries is using its unique biotechnology, "in-container grafting technology," to conserve cherry trees of high historical and academic value.

Takeo Chii

Utilizing wood to prevent global warming

Forests are known as carbon reservoirs and play a crucial role in preventing global warming. Furthermore, forest products such as wooden houses, which utilize carbon-storage wood, are also referred to as "urban forests" and function as carbon reservoirs. This issue focuses on the carbon cycle and features articles on the utilization of forest products to help prevent global warming.

Goro Yamada

Conservation of Blakiston's fish owls

The Blakiston's fish owl is a national natural monument and an endangered species. To protect this bird, of which there are currently only 130 left in Japan, the Wild Bird Society of Japan and Nippon Paper Industries have jointly established a protected area for the Blakiston's fish owl in Nippon Paper Industries' company-owned forest.

Hiroshi Yagyu

Creating a "Forest of Life" for the Future

Creating forests means that each of us recognizes the benefits of forests and passes those benefits on to future generations.

In addition to forest conservation efforts in our business activities, the Nippon Paper Group has launched "Creating Forests of Life for the Future," an initiative in which participants themselves plant trees to deepen their appreciation for forests.

Keiko Takeshita

Thinning

The deterioration of Japan's forests is a growing problem, and attention is increasingly being drawn to the importance of thinning to prevent this deterioration. In this issue, we examine the necessity of thinning and focus on the "Forest Neighborhood Association" initiative promoted by the environmental NPO "Office Neighborhood Association." We also introduce the Nippon Paper Group's efforts to utilize thinned timber, including their cooperation with the Forest Neighborhood Association.

Katsuhiko Hibino

Forest creation

Forests provide us with a variety of benefits: they support the activities of living things, they supply resources such as timber that sustain our lives, and they act as carbon reservoirs that sequester carbon dioxide. However, even today, a large amount of forest is lost every year, making it crucial to increase the amount of forest. In this issue, we will organize our thoughts on forest creation and feature the efforts of Professor Emeritus Akira Miyawaki of Yokohama National University, who is promoting forest creation in a way that is in line with the land's natural environment.

Akira Miyawaki

Eco-products

From an environmental perspective, perhaps the most environmentally friendly way to live is to abandon the "convenient lifestyle" that symbolizes modern times. However, it is also true that it is difficult for us, who have become accustomed to a convenient world, to give up everything, and there is a strong desire for the development of products with a lower environmental impact and the widespread use of such products. In this issue, we consider environmentally friendly manufacturing and eco-products.

Rei Kikukawa

Nature and Children (Environmental Education)

In recent years, children have had fewer opportunities to interact with nature. Nippon Paper Group is using its own forests to hold a nature environment class called "Forest and Paper Friendship School," providing children with opportunities to connect with nature. In addition, as part of the program, children can experience papermaking using twigs as raw material, aiming to help them understand the connection between "paper," which is familiar in their daily lives, and "forests," and to learn about the importance of nature.

Hiroshi Aramata

Bioethanol

Bioethanol is attracting attention as one measure to combat global warming. However, there are concerns that bioethanol produced from food sources such as corn could potentially trigger a food crisis.

Nippon Paper Chemical, a member of the Nippon Paper Group, has begun a feasibility study with Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. on the production of bioethanol using wood as a raw material, which does not compete with food resources. This issue introduces the potential of environmentally friendly bioethanol.

Tozuki Toi

Japanese forests

Forests cover 67% of Japan's land area. Compared to the world's forest area, which is about 30% of the land area, this shows that Japan is a country rich in forests. However, it is said that Japan's forests are currently in a critical state. What is happening to Japan's forests? We will learn about Japan's forests and summarize the domestic company-owned forests of Nippon Paper Industries.

Mariko Bando

Biodiversity

Currently, many species on Earth are facing extinction, making "biodiversity conservation" a pressing need. In the spring of 2007, the Nippon Paper Group explicitly stated in its Environmental Charter that it would "conduct corporate activities with consideration for biodiversity and ecosystem conservation." Now, let's look at what we can do to protect living things, and introduce the Nippon Paper Group's initiatives toward biodiversity.

Makoto Shiina

Environmentally friendly paper

Nippon Paper Industries ceased production of paper made solely from recycled paper (100% recycled paper) in October 2007. This was a result of our efforts to utilize recycled paper in a way that minimizes environmental impact. Furthermore, Nippon Paper Industries aims to increase the overall amount of recycled paper used. We would like to introduce the environmentally friendly papermaking approach of the Nippon Paper Group.

Saya Takagi

global warming

In February 2007, the Nippon Paper Group hosted a global environmental forum, inviting Dr. Steven Schneider, a leading expert in climate change research who has supported successive presidents. The forum featured a discussion with young people who will shape the future about the serious impact of global warming.

Yaku Mitsuru

Overseas afforestation

Even today, we still hear the misconception that papermaking is a cause of deforestation. Nippon Paper Industries sources raw materials in an environmentally conscious manner, and not only does it not destroy forests through papermaking, but it also creates forests through reforestation activities.

Kazuyo Matsui