Three companies of the Morizora Project join the "ACT FOR SKY”as ACT members to promote and expand domestic SAF.

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (head office : Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President &President and Representative Director: Toru Nozawa, hereinafter referred to as "Nippon Paper Industries”) is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation (head office : Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo,President and Representative Director& CEO: Shingo Ueno, hereinafter referred to as "Sumitomo Corporation") and Green Earth Institute Co. , Ltd. (head office : Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Tomoto Ihara, hereinafter referred to as"GEI”) andsustainable aviation fuel We will join ACT FOR SKY*2, an all-Japan initiative that aims to realize carbon-neutral skies through the spread and expansion of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel)*1, as an ACT member*3*4.

ACT FOR SKY is a volunteer organization established by JGC Holdings Co., Ltd., Revo International Co., Ltd., All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. as the organizers of the activities to create a movement in which companies and local governments related to domestic SAF act beyond the boundaries of their respective business formats.

On February 3, 2023, three companies, Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo Corporation, and GEI (hereinafter referred to as"3 companies"), began a joint study for "Japan's first commercial production of cellulose bioethanol using woody biomass as a raw material and its development into biochemical products"*5. "Turning the Power of Forests into the Power of Flight" is active as "Morisora Project*6" with theSlogan , and is currently producingBioethanol derived fromdomestic timberin Nippon Paper Industries mill. is considering commercial production. NIPPON PAPER GROUP, which has the largestdomestic timbersupply chain in Japan, will be responsible for the procurement ofwoody materials, making it possible to achieve stable procurement of raw materials, which has been one of the issues of domestic SAF so far. Bioethanol In addition, by sourcing raw materials from nearby areas of productionmilland using the energy ofblack liquor, a carbon-neutralbiomassfuel obtained from the pulp production process, it is possible to significantly reduce CO2 emissions even among SAF derived from various feedstocks. It will also contribute to the effective use of domestic forest resources and regional revitalization through local production for local consumption. UsingBioethanolas a raw material can produce SAF derived from domestic timber with significantly lower CO2 emissions, and many stakeholders involved in building the SAF supply chain are looking forward to its realization and future development. In addition, the Morisora Project will simultaneously work on carbon recycling that contributes to acarbon neutral society, such as CCU*7 using carbon-neutral CO₂ generated byBioethanolproduction and effective use of fermentation process residues.

 

The three companies will work on the Morisora Project for the production ofBioethanol, and through their activities at ACT FOR SKY, they will promote the social implementation of SAF and contribute to the realization of acarbon neutral society.

*1 SAF: Abbreviation for Sustainable Aviation Fuel. sustainable aviation fuel. It issustainable aviation fuelthat significantly reduces CO2 emissions compared to conventional fuels in the life cycle from production and collection to manufacturing and combustion, and can utilize existing infrastructure as it is.
※２ ACT FOR SKY URL "https://actforsky.jp/”
*3 ACT members: ACT FOR SKY consists of "ACT members" and "SKY members", ACT members "companies that are directly involved in domestic SAF as a business and are the main body in the construction of the supply chain", and SKY members are "companies and organizations necessary for the construction of the supply chain of SAF".
*4 GEI has been a member of SKY since November 2022, but has been changed to an ACT member this time due to its efforts to produce bioethane for domestic SAF, such as the Morisora Project, for one and a half years after joining. (GEI News Release, November 11, 2022,"ACT Working to Commercialize, Disseminate, and Expand Domestic SAF"
FOR SKY””
*5 3 company news releasesFebruary 3, 2023"Signing of a Basic Agreement on Collaboration for the Commercial Production of Japan's First Cellulose Bioethanol Using Woody Biomass as a Raw Material and Deployment to Biochemical Products"
*6 Project name of Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Corporation, and GEI3 to consider the production of Bioethanol derived from domestic timber(the logo below)

*7 CCU: Abbreviation for Carbon dioxide Capture, Utilization. Separating and capturing CO2 and using it as a resource for crop production and chemical production.