Finally, please tell us about your expectations for LIMEX and future initiatives.

The Sustainability Department leading the 2050 Long-Term Environmental Vision

Please tell us about the background and mission of establishing the Sustainability Department.

Naruse

Our company has set the realization of a "Decarbonized Society" and a "Circular Society" as our long-term environmental vision up to 2050. As we promoted initiatives to achieve this long-term vision, we faced challenges regarding the company-wide promotion structure and collaboration among various departments. Therefore, we established the Sustainability Department as a cross-organizational unit. 

One of the important missions of the Sustainability Department is to instill sustainability into employees as a part of their daily work. For employees involved in the real estate business, sustainability can sometimes feel like a distant concept, but we want them to see it as something familiar and incorporate it into their daily tasks. 

Long-Term Environmental Vision Roadmaphttps://www.hulic.co.jp/）

Encountering LIMEX while aiming to promote a circular economy

Could you tell us what prompted you to consider introducing LIMEX?

Naruse

I learned about LIMEX when a member of our internal CVC* introduced it, saying, "There is a company making a plastic and paper alternative called LIMEX. I think it's a material that contributes to environmental consideration, so would the Sustainability Department consider utilizing it?"

* CVC (Corporate Venture Capital): An organization where an operating company forms a fund with its own capital to primarily invest in and support unlisted emerging companies (startups).

Our company had positioned sustainability as a pillar of management since then, but we faced the issue that sustainability didn't feel close to the employees. In particular, we lacked ways to "practice in our immediate surroundings" when it came to initiatives aimed at a circular society. Amidst this, we were constantly exploring if there was a way to promote initiatives in a specific and easy-to-understand format.

Around that time, we learned about LIMEX. We were attracted by the fact that it primarily uses limestone, which significantly reduces the use of water and forest resources, and that it could replace products we use on a regular basis. We then began considering adopting it for internal materials such as business cards and integrated reports.

Overcoming implementation challenges through trial and error

Were there any challenges or concerns from the consideration phase to implementation?

Naruse

Regarding the integrated report, we initially had concerns about LIMEX's printing characteristics and the thickness of the material. In particular, the weight and the burden of carrying it due to its thickness were raised as issues. To be honest, we also had overall anxiety about whether unexpected troubles might occur with the introduction of a new material.

How were you able to dispel those challenges and concerns?

Naruse

For the integrated report, we were able to solve the issues by collaborating with TBM and the printing company to conduct detailed verifications. Furthermore, for the 2024 integrated report, they proposed a new thin, high-opacity grade "LIMEX Sheet." This reduced the thickness by almost half compared to what we previously used, significantly improving the overall thickness of the booklet. In fact, it looked so slim that people both inside and outside the company asked, "Did you significantly change the number of pages?", and it was very well received.

As for our overall concerns, when you introduced it to us in 2022, seeing physical samples of well-known companies continuously using LIMEX gave us the confidence that we could also introduce it with peace of mind. Additionally, the meticulous support we received from your company helped ease our anxiety about adopting a new material.

* Adopted by over 10,000 companies and local governments (including the number of registered offices).

Were there any other points you were particularly conscious of before implementation?

Naruse

Since it was our first attempt, internal proposals were made carefully. For business cards in particular, we emphasized clearly conveying that while achieving a reduction in environmental impact, the cost increase would be kept to a certain level. Your company supported us in creating the proposal materials, allowing us to smoothly reach a consensus internally.

LIMEX as a conversation starter

What changes have occurred since the introduction of LIMEX products?

Naruse

Business cards are tools used daily and handed directly to people outside the company. Mentioning, "This is not paper," during a business card exchange naturally turns sustainability initiatives into a topic of conversation, creating an opportunity to talk about our own company's efforts. Also, being able to feel sustainability through items touched daily leads to an increase in employee awareness.

The integrated report and shareholder newsletter are essentially the "face" of a company. Recently, when sending out documents related to shareholders, such as shareholder benefits, we have received questions like, "Is this recyclable?" This shows there are many shareholders with high environmental awareness. By adopting LIMEX this time, we were able to specifically and clearly demonstrate our company's environmentally conscious stance to a wide range of stakeholders, including shareholders, investors, and business partners.

Towards further promotion of sustainability

Finally, please tell us your expectations for LIMEX and your future initiatives.

Naruse

We believe LIMEX is an exceptionally excellent tool for promoting sustainability in a visible form. By introducing LIMEX, our initiatives, such as the conservation of water and forest resources, have become more diverse. Moving forward, while we look forward to the diversification of products, we also want to engage in concrete resource circulation, such as collecting used integrated reports and business cards and remanufacturing them into new products.