An outstanding feature of the Oji Group is the vast area of forests it owns.
We own a total of 603,000 hectares of forests in Japan and overseas, with 455,000 hectares of production forests and 148,000 hectares of conservation forests. And its forest area is more than 2.5 times the size of Tokyo.
Forests absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere and perform photosynthesis, storing and fixing carbon in trunks, branches, and so on. At present, the actual carbon stock of living biomass in the Oji Forest has reached a cumulative total of 122.45 million ton-CO₂ as of March 2023. We plan to expand the actual carbon stock of living biomass to a cumulative 170 million ton-CO₂ by 2030.
The Oji Group believes that those who use trees have the responsibility to plant trees. Accordingly, we have long been working hard to achieve sustainable forest management by repeating the cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting trees. Through this initiative, sound, vigorously-growing forests are maintained, fulfilling their functions of fixing CO₂ and conserving soil and water as well as being used for industrial purposes.

The Oji Group strives to reduce water intake by improving operation and water recycling and identifying regions with high water-related risk. We also incorporate the reduction in water intake intensity into our annual plans and carry out regular management.
The paper and pulp business uses a large amount of water in the manufacturing process. Therefore, we have worked on water reuse according to quality (cascading: use in multiple stages) and water recycling to avoid wasting water. As a result, the water recycling rate came to 93% in FY2022. We also purify reused water in compliance with the self-management standards that are stricter than regulatory requirements.

The Oji Group also continues to recycle paper, aiming to achieve the rate of use of recovered paper of 70%. With the aim of further improving the rate, we will strengthen cooperation in the industry to expand the use of confidential documents and difficult-to-process waste paper and quality improvements.

The Basic Policy of the Oji Group Environmental Charter says, “The Oji Group Environmental Charter requires the Oji Group to help create a truly enriched and sustainable society by developing business activities that harmonize with the environment from a global perspective. The Charter calls for the Oji Group to make autonomous efforts to achieve further environmental improvement, and aggressively drive its sustainable forest management, paper recycling, and global warming countermeasures forward.” Based on this policy, we have established our long-term vision "Environmental Vision 2050" and its milestone "Environmental Action Program 2030. To achieve these goals, the entire Group is working on "Action on climate change," "Abundant forests creation and biodiversity conservation," "Resource recycling and reduction of environmental impact," and "Development of trusting relationships with our stakeholders.”

For “Action on climate change,” we aim for net-zero carbon emissions by FY2050, approaching the CO₂ absorption and fixation by forests through forest conservation and plantation, a business transformation, thoroughgoing energy savings on manufacturing and transportation operations, and increasing usage of renewable energy.

For “Abundant forests creation and biodiversity conservation,” we will contribute to a nature-positive world by promoting sustainable forest management to enhance the multi-faceted functions of forests, and by continuing and expanding efforts to conserve and restore ecosystems.

For “Resource recycling and reduction of environmental impact,” we will reduce our use of resources by promoting conservation and recycling, and endlessly challenge ourselves to achieve zero environmental impact.

For “Development of trusting relationships with our stakeholders,” we expand procurement that considers the environment and society, manufacture products that contribute to decarbonized society, and conduct business activities in compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

In the Oji Group, every single employee, including management team members, will retain environmental awareness and address global environmental issues proactively, thereby contributing to achieving a sustainable society.