Success Story 2
Chikyuno Me
G-Project G-Project establishes a wood procurement policy for its houses in Kobunaki Ecovillage in Shiga Prefecture
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Kobunaki Ecovillage in Shiga Prefecture |
We, Fairwood Partners (formerly Fairwood Campaign), have been working with G-Project since 2008. G-Project is responsible for the town development of Kobunaki Ecovillage in realizing truly sustainable society, and we have assisted their effort.
In May 2009, amongst many other companies selling lots in Kobunaki Ecovillage, G-Project took initiative in establishing the wood procurement policy for their houses in the town. The procurement policy promotes the effective utilization of local forests and the conservation of the world’s precious forests in order to use timber in a sustainable manner.
| “Wood Procurement Policy for Kobunaki Ecovillage” | |
|---|---|
| 1. |
We will avoid wood obtained from areas with a high risk of illegal logging, or wood from tree species that are endangered wherever possible. We will compile detailed information regarding the species and place of origin of wood, develop management standards and regularly update such information. |
| 2. | We will prioritize wood coming from local areas (wood from Shiga Prefecture, domestic wood). |
| 3. |
We will promote the use of wood from sustainably managed forests certified by a third party. |
In developing practical management standards as part of the implementation of the wood procurement, G-Project started with structure materials and plywood, the types of wood products used the most for residential buildings. The standards for these materials were established in 2009.
Comment from Kenichi Nakazawa, Fairwood Partners:
“The Fairwood effort made in Kobunaki Ecovillage is a unique one, since the village is a new residential development. G-Project’s policy is designed not only to exclude high-risk wood such as illegal or endangered wood, but prioritizes local wood from Shiga Prefecture, where Ecovillage is located. This is the most important aspect of Fairwood policy, and I look forward to seeing the development of Fairwood houses in Kobunaki Ecovillage”.
The fact that G-Project includes the concept of local consumption of local wood in its procurement policy is worth noting: This clearly shows that G-Project aims at progressing towards sustainable society.
Providing Homes that Bridge People and Forests
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| In the autumn 2009, a viewing of “Ways of Experiencing Wood” was held. We discussed the concept of Fairwood, together with architects and local residents. |
We further expanded our effort by inviting Fairwood Partners to provide consultations for us in 2008. With their help, we were able to step up our effort from simply developing the system of “local produce, local consumption” of wood materials to the winder approach with multiple focuses such as the conservation of forests worldwide and the risk management of our supply chain.
We believe that learning about the status of forests around the world makes our original effort in the “local produce, local consumption” system for wood more complete.
In the future we plan to further expand our effort and apply our policy to floor boards and interior materials in order to provide a lifestyle in which people can live comfortably without destroying the forests of the world.
An excellent example of Fairwood procurement
Fairwood Partners is delighted with G-Project’s accomplishment in establishing the wood procurement policy as a home-building company following the example of Sekisui House.
Together with G-Project, we will continue to support the promotion of sustainable wood procurement, through providing relevant information and other activities.
Fairwood Partners welcome inquiries regarding the wood procurement.
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