November 06, 2024
【Sustainable Japan Excellence Award】Oji Holdings Corp.
Representative Director of the Board, President & Group CEO
We are very honored to have been awarded the Excellence Award in the ESG category of the Sustainable Japan Awards 2024.
Our company has its roots in a paper manufacturing company established in 1873 by Eiichi Shibusawa, known as the father of the modern Japanese economy, who believed, as he said, that “paper is necessary for the development of Japanese culture and civilization.”
Since then, we have supported the development of Japan’s culture and economy.
Today, we are expanding and developing our core printing and information media business globally, as well as our lifestyle and industrial materials business, which handles products such as corrugated cardboard and toilet paper, our functional materials business, which handles specialty paper and thermal paper for various industrial uses, and our resources and environment business, which handles forestry and pulp.
The foundation of our business is forests. Based on the philosophy that “those who use wood have a duty to plant trees,” we have been conducting sustainable business operations rooted in forest resources for over 100 years.
Currently, we own approximately 640,000 hectares of forest in Japan and overseas, and we are conducting forest management while giving maximum consideration to the surrounding environment and creating local employment.
In addition, we are also focusing on the research and development of new products and next-generation materials, including environmentally friendly packaging, wood-derived pharmaceuticals, bioethanol, biomass plastics and cellulose nanofibers, and are working to contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.
Reason for the award:
Oji Holdings Corp. recycles in three ways.
The first one is the recycling of forests: practicing sustainable forest management by growing trees, harvesting them and planting them again.
Second is the recycling of water: reducing water consumption and purifying wastewater by circulating and reusing water in industrial processes.
Third is the recycling of paper: collecting paper products and recycling them.
Oji grows and manages vast forests both at home and abroad. By doing so, it not only helps mitigate global warming by absorbing and fixing carbon dioxide, it also conserves biodiversity by protecting the environment.
Oji also conducts other activities that benefit local environments and economies by supporting biodiversity programs in conservation forests as well as local employment and education through allying with local governments, nongovernmental organizations and citizens groups.
