JETRO-sponsored business event “Japan-Africa Business EXPO” will take place at the 2019 Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) in Yokohama on 28-30 August. We will be displaying LIMEX at the ITOCHU Corporation’s exhibition booth in the area of “Japan Fair.” The aim of “Japan Fair” is to present Japanese industry’s eagerness to expand by displaying Japanese companies’ innovations that carry potential contribution to Africa’s sustainable growth. “Japan Fair” will gather visitors from African governments and industry leaders, who are schedule to attend for TICAD7. At this opportunity, we will introduce a revolutionary Japanese material LIMEX that will replace conventional paper and plastic.

On August 26, 2019, we announced the commencement of the construction for “Tagajo Factory”, the second factory in Japan, in Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture. This factory is to be a mass production factory, which will be a model for the global expansion of LIMEX business. With the completion of the Tagajo Plant, volume of LIMEX will significantly increase.Thus, the completion of “Tagajo Factory” will accelerate the movement on replacing conventional plastic and paper to LIMEX. We will also engage in our recruitment activities in Miyagi Prefecture from this year, in order to start operations in winter 2020, with the aim of building a production by local employment. For that reason, we have launched the “Bridge for 2020” project with the aim of disseminating information on TBM’s activities in the prefecture, strengthening cooperation’s relationship with local communities, and strengthening sales of LIMEX products in the Tohoku area.

In commemoration of International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, TBM conducted a signature drive for HeForShe, a United Nations movement for gender equality. The signature drive was organized as part of the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives that create new value by deepening understanding for a diverse workforce and enhancing mutual respect. It aimed to reaffirm the need of gender equality, one of the approaches for TBM employees to jointly create a workplace environment where they can deliver their best performance and demonstrate originality.

TBM will exhibit at the Ninth Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from March 4 to 6, co-organized by the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan (MoEJ), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), Thailand, and United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD). There is growing interest in environmental issues, including marine pollution due to microplastics, global warming, and resource depletion. Against this backdrop, TBM will have a boothstall at the Japanese corporate exhibition booth organized by MoEJ to introduce our new material LIMEX that can contribute to alleviating environmental resource issues. The holding of this Forum was declared at the Inaugural Regional 3R Forum in Asia in November 2009, co-organized by MoEJ and UNCRD. The Forum is convened to promote policy dialogues on 3R (reduce, reuse, and recycle) and support for implementation of 3R projects in various countries and establish a network for advancing 3R.

Dates｜Monday, March 4 to Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Place｜Bangkok, Thailand (Venue: Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers)
Co-Organizers｜Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan (MoEJ); Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), Thailand; United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD)
Participants｜Governments, international organizations, research institutes, aid agencies, private companies, NGOs, and more
Theme｜3R as a Way for Moving towards Sufficiency Economy – Implications for SDGs

Tokuro Hatori, Sustainability Accelerator at TBM’s Corporate Communications Department , will be a panelist speaker at a panel discussion for JCI Kanazawa Conference 2019 to be held in Kanazawa City from Friday, February 22 to Sunday, February 24. In 2015, the JCI World Conference Kanazawa adopted the Kanazawa Declaration in which JCI (Junior Chamber International) pledged to collaborate towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. The JCI Kanazawa Conference is held with the objective of sharing information on activities for achieving SDGs in various areas in order to deepen understanding of the SDGs and promote actions.

Date & Time ｜Sunday, February 24, 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Place｜Akabane Hall, 2F, Hokkoku Shimbun Akabane Hall
Theme｜Panel Discussion, SDGs Goal 6 “Why Incorporate the SDGs into Business Administration”

One of the largest outdoor marché in Japan has introduced food containers made of LIMEX in replacement of plastic containers.