Success Story 3
Wise-Wise Inc. in Omotesando
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The leading furniture manufacturer in Fairwood procurement
Since the Age of Exploration, the furniture-making industry has sought higher-quality, more beautiful, and more durable materials to produce furniture. Various types of wood have been used since that time. Even now, if you visit a furniture store in Japan, you will be able to find many different names of tree species.
As is widely known, we can no longer find hardwood that comes from broad-leaf trees on today’s Japanese wood market, where sellers of wood are required to meet pre-specified conditions such as the volume, quality, price and timing of purchase. Hardwood is better suited than softwood that comes from conifers, which are the dominant type of trees in Japan today. This means that many furniture-makers are forced to import wood from overseas.
As a result, furniture we use today do not come from Japanese forests. They come from some forests far away. No one seems to be bothered about it, and people are disconnected from forests, sadly. That is when we met this furniture company that was trying to do something in order to change this situation.
Furniture that does not destroy forests but helps forests grow
Wise-Wise Inc. is a furniture maker that designs and sells its own furniture. It has a retail outlet in Omotesando where it sells furniture and other interior products. Fairwood Partners began communicating with Wise-Wise since 2008.
The company has taken various actions to present, organizing study sessions with other companies in the same industry or for its suppliers, whilst visiting production sites of domestic hardwood. From these experiences, Wise-Wise has made steady progress towards producing a new product; In the autumn 2009, it launched a new Fairwood furniture product that uses domestic hardwood. At the same time, the company also established a wood procurement policy after announcing the launch of its “Green Project”.
Wise-Wise’s project goes much beyond a simple ‘green marketing’. It is a promise to consumers. Wise-Wise’s project follows the examples of Sekisui House and Tokyu Homes.
| Four Activities of Wise-Wise Green Project Part 3: “We don’t destroy forests, we help grow forests rich in biodiversity” |
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We promote the usage of the following types of wood: We avoid using the following types of wood wherever possible: |
“Wise-Wise’s Fairwood policy is comprehensive. Wise-Wise is a leading figure in the furniture-making industry. (Kenichi Nakazawa, Fairwood Partners) |
Of course, it is almost impossible to start sourcing domestic wood only. However, Wise-Wise’s procurement policy addresses some critical issues; It includes the promotion of “domestic wood” and “wood obtained without destroying ecosystems”, in addition to the basic policy of “ensuring where the wood comes from”.
Furthermore, Wise-Wise aims to increase the volume of Fairwood to 100% by 2012, and to increase the ratio of domestic wood to 50% within five years.
New Product: Chestnut from Akita Prefecture – SATOYAMA series and FOREST series
Soon after establishing the procurement policy, Mr. Sato, the CEO and the president of Wise-Wise, embarked on a new project: the development of a new product using domestic hardwood.
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“Japan is still suffering from the impact of the worldwide recession. The proliferation of the mass production of cheap products from countries such as China continues to accelerate, whilst deflation shows no sign of disappearing.
Cheap, convenient products can often help consumers from a financial perspective and bring benefits. However, underlining problems of products of the unknown origin are increasingly visible; health and safety risks, the impact on the environment from disposable goods and over-exploitation of natural resources.
Furthermore, forests around the world are rapidly disappearing. It has been a good while since people started to point out the threats of illegal logging and global warming, but little seems to have changed.
Meanwhile, Japan’s self-sufficiency ratio for wood is only 20%, even though nearly 70% of its land is forested. The market for domestic timber has been reduced down to almost nothing, the forestry industry cannot sustain itself and our forests have degraded massively,
Is there anything we can do as a furniture-manufacturer which uses wood and other natural resources? Can we make furniture in a more sustainable manner so that we don’t have to compromise the global environment and the future of our children?
Two years ago from now, I decided to fully commit to making furniture in a manner that is considerate to the global environment and future generations. That is when I set up “Eco-Friendly Committee”.
It was easier said than done, and I was not sure how I would go about this. I struggled alone, and I met FoE Japan.
Ways of truly “wealthy life”, implemented by all of the staff at Wise-Wise
SATOYAMA Chair
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Mr. Sato remembers that soon after Wise-Wise and Fairwood Partners began their partnership, Ken-ichi Nakazawa of FoE Japan said to him:
“First, identify what you are and aren’t doing right. Picture our ideal goal, and draw a roadmap to get there. Then, disclose all information relating to these”.
“All other companies that are thought to be the leaders in the environmental field went through this. There is no need to worry. Have all information out in the open, and let everyone see you are making a progress towards your goal. In a few years’ time, Wise-Wise will have become one of the leading companies. Do not worry!”
There were concerns within the company; “We had not achieved anything, and disclosing all information might decrease our sales”. “Are we really going to be able to have support from our partner factories and suppliers?” However, I set aside these concerns and began fully implementing “Green Project”, which is based around the sustainable wood procurement.
In “Green Project”, Wise-Wise has set a goal to increase the ratio of Fairwood such as legal wood to 100% by 2012. We have also set a goal to increase the ratio of domestic and certified wood such as FSC wood to 50% within five years. We now have full support from all our partner factories, and all our staff are working hard to become one of the most environmentally conscious interior good and furniture brand in Japan.
What Wise-Wise is proposing in “Green Project” is “ways of truly wealthy life”. As a company that deals in wood, Wise-Wise shows a lifestyle that does not compromise forests but co-exist with forests through their furniture.
Furniture made of fair wood comes with stories that are communicated to their users who appreciate these stories. Craftsmanship of Wise-Wise’s staff can be seen in their furniture.
Fairwood Partners will continue to learn from Wise-Wise’s dedicated effort and will continue to work with them in various ways.
(*1) Japan Wood Products Information and Research Center, “Company Seminar: Ways of Using Wood”
*Initiatives from WiseWise have been covered in various newspaper and magazine in Japan
