Sustainability Activities (ESG)
Promoting Sustainable Use of Wood
Promoting Sustainable Use of Wood
Promoting Sustainable Use of Wood
Basic Policy and Approach
The Mitsubishi Estate Group has established a policy of fostering harmony between nature and human society as part of the Mitsubishi Estate Group Basic Environmental Policy. The Group is committed to avoiding deforestation and promoting the sustainable use of wood as it considers biodiversity through its business activities. In addition, the Mitsubishi Estate Group Timber Procurement Guidelines* were established in July 2022 to ensure no forest destruction or deforestation and the protection of biodiversity in the procurement of timber in the Group’s own value chain. In order to “maintain commitment to reducing environmental impact” and “consider people, empathize with people, protect people,” two themes set out in “Sustainability of the Mitsubishi Estate Group and Society: Four Key Themes,” the drivers for enhancing social value under the Long-Term Management Plan 2030, the Group has set goals for promoting the sustainable use of wood and ensuring the traceability of wood used in business activities. It will continue working for sustainable uses of wood giving consideration to respecting human rights and protecting natural resources in areas where imported timber is harvested.
- Scope of the Mitsubishi Estate Group Timber Procurement Guidelines: The guidelines cover the entire Mitsubishi Estate Group, and the target activity is the direct procurement of timber and timber products for construction.
Targets and Status of Achievement
Targets and Status of Achievement
From the perspective of human rights and environmental protection, the Mitsubishi Estate Group uses timber based on the Sustainable Sourcing Code (certified timber or Japan-grown timber) or equivalent as the timber in the concrete wall panels used when building offices or housing with a target of achieving a usage rate of 100% by fiscal 2030 to eliminate forest destruction. Moreover, in the Mitsubishi Estate Group Green Procurement Guidelines, the Group stipulates use of timber products certified by forest certification systems that can verify that they are from properly managed forest resources, and mandates consideration given to promoting the use of Japan-grown timber. This applies to all of the products, services, designs, and construction procured by the Mitsubishi Estate Group, and the Group requests the cooperation of all suppliers. In addition, the Mitsubishi Estate Group Timber Procurement Guidelines stipulate no forest destruction or deforestation and the protection of biodiversity in the procurement of timber in the Group’s own value chain. The timeline for the measurement of progress in the achievement of these guidelines is fiscal as a milestone (goal: minimum 90% achieved) and fiscal 2030 as the target year for achievement.
The Group also complies with policies on the sustainable use of timber and forest-related laws and regulations and has developed mechanisms to monitor and ensure compliance.
- Scope of the Mitsubishi Estate Group Timber Procurement Guidelines: The guidelines cover the entire Mitsubishi Estate Group, and the target activity is the direct procurement of timber and timber products for construction.
See the following for the Mitsubishi Estate Group Timber Procurement Guidelines
Primary Initiatives>Promoting Use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)
Primary Initiatives
Promoting Use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Other Products to Expand Utilization of Japan-grown Timber
The Mitsubishi Estate Group promotes sustainable manufacturing by using Japan-grown timber. In recent years, the Group has promoted the use of cross laminated timber (CLT) and other products as a construction material that expands timber usage opportunities.
MEC Industry Aiming to Achieve an Appropriate Forest Cycle
MEC Industry was established in January 2020 with investment from Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., Takenaka Corporation, Daiho Corporation, Matsuo Construction Co., Ltd., Nangoku Corporation, Kentec Corporation, and Yamasa Mokuzai Co., Ltd. with the goal of realizing a society that promotes effective use of wood. Combining the strengths of the seven companies and having its own plant enables integration of the previously fragmented business flow from manufacturing through to sales, making it possible to provide high quality products at a low cost.
MEC Industry has its own plant in Yusui, Kagoshima Prefecture, which serves as a production site to make use of Japan-grown timber. MEC Industry handles everything from procurement of logs to sawing, manufacturing and processing to sale of the material and products.
At its own plant the company procures logs, manufactures CLT and 2×4s, and produces building materials and prefabricated housing using these wood materials. Expanding the use of Japan-grown timber through these products fixes carbon absorbed by forests in urban areas helping to realize a decarbonized society. In addition, it is also expected to function as green infrastructure and contribute to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity and natural capital by promoting a cycle in Japan’s planted forests, which are reaching optimum harvestable age. Moreover, the use of wood as a construction material, and particularly as the main structural material, reduces the use of steel and concrete and thereby enables the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions during construction, while making it possible to recycle materials when a building is eventually dismantled. MEC Industry is also working to reduce waste at its own plant through the use of wood scraps generated in manufacturing processes as a heat source for boilers and other measures.
In February 2023, MEC Industry and Yusui concluded an agreement on assistance and cooperation in the event of a disaster. If an earthquake, storm, flood, or other disaster occurs or is likely to occur in Yusui, MEC Industry will endeavor to ensure the safety of the people of Yusui by providing an evacuation site and building and supplying temporary emergency housing among other measures.
Example of CLT Use
CLT panels and extensive green spaces on the lower floors of the building
Located in in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, the Tenjin 1- 7 Project (tentative name) is a mixed-use development project which Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. commenced in May 2024, comprising offices, a hotel, and a retail complex on the former site of IMS, the Company’s first urban commercial complex.
Approximately 450 m2 of CLT panels manufactured by MEC Industry from timber produced in Kyushu will be used for the exterior of the building, contributing to local production for local consumption as well as sound forest management and promotion of forestry. The use of the CLT panels will fix around 259 tons of CO2 in addition to reducing solar radiation heat by approximately 40% and achieving further energy savings through the organic arrangement of the panels based on geometric calculations.
In addition, the provision of more than 600 m2 of greenspace on the lower floors of the building will create an appealing streetscape that gives the sense of relaxation and tranquility, which is the goal of Fukuoka City’s 10,000 Trees in the City Center Project,* as well as helping to mitigate the heat island effect.
Mitsubishi Estate plans to obtain ZEB Oriented, CASBEE Fukuoka A Rank, and CASBEE Wellness Office A Rank certifications for the project.
- As the city of Fukuoka undergoes major transformation through Tenjin Big Bang and Hakata Connected, the 10,000 Trees in the City Center Project aims to revitalize the neighborhood through the appeal of greenery, providing it a sense of relaxation and tranquility. Working with citizens and companies, the project enhances green spaces by planting trees and promoting the creation of a green city by leveraging the greening of privately-owned land to develop a positive urban landscape and improve the urban environment.
Japan's First High-Rise Concrete-Wood Hybrid Hotel Using Hokkaido-Grown Timber
Mitsubishi Estate debuted in October 2021 The Royal Park Canvas – Sapporo Odori Park, Japan's first high-rise hybrid hotel built of reinforced-concrete and wood using Hokkaido-grown timber. Located in Sapporo, Hokkaido, the hotel will be operated by Mitsubishi Estate Hotels & Resorts. The property features a hybrid wood building with the lower and middle floors constructed from reinforced-concrete with wooden ceilings; one floor in the mid-rise section built with a hybrid reinforced-concrete and wooden structure; and the upper floors constructed using an entirely wood-built structure. The property is a new type of hotel which brings together all the advances in wood construction made by the Mitsubishi Estate Group to date.
Approximately 80% of some 1,050 m2 of wood used as a structural material is Hokkaido-grown timber. The use of Sakhalin fir, which is the most abundant resource in any of Hokkaido's plantations, in various parts of the building, including the CLT flooring, contributes to promoting local industry and recycling forest resources. The interior designs of the hotel's guest rooms and lobby also make extensive use of timber. Further, the hotel is actively promoting local production for local consumption based on the “Hokkaido Experience,” offering food and drink focusing on locally produced products. The project was selected for inclusion by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in the Fiscal 2019 2nd Pilot Projects for Sustainable Buildings (Wooden Structure).
Miyako Shimojishima Airport Terminal
Check-in lobby using CLT as structural material for the roof
Miyako Shimojishima Airport Terminal opened in March 2019 on Miyako Island, Okinawa, where there is abundant nature. It is the first airport terminal in Japan to utilize CLT as a structural material for the roof. The CLT was produced with regional wood designated by Okinawa Prefecture, thereby contributing to the vitalization of the regional forestry industry. The project has also implemented a range of energy-saving measures and earned the Net Zero Energy Building (ZEB) recognition, the first for airport terminals in Japan.
Initiatives by Mitsubishi Estate Home
Mitsubishi Estate Home fulfills its mission to enrich people’s lifestyles and lives through proposals for the creation of high-quality, high value-added homes. At the same time, from the perspective of using Japan-grown forest resources and decarbonization, the company promotes the use of wood, a sustainable environmentally-friendly resource, as it works on projects to promote wooden structures and finishes in buildings, thereby helping realize a sustainable society.
To reduce GHG emissions, Mitsubishi Estate Home has set a target to achieve a net-zero energy house (ZEH) rate of 85% in properties the company constructs by 2030 by promoting further use of Japan-grown timber and improved efficiency of household equipment with the aim of achieving net zero by 2050. In addition, the company aims to achieve a 60% reduction in GHG emissions by fiscal 2030 through initiatives that include selecting construction methods that generate little waste and materials that are easy to recycle, as well as promoting pre-cut technology.
Mitsubishi Estate Home also contributes to a forest cycle of “plant, raise, use, and plant” by actively utilizing Japan-grown timber with clear traceability. In 2011, Mitsubishi Estate Home concluded the Agreement on Use of Yamanashi Prefecture-Grown Certified Timber Products for Housing Materials. The company introduced the use of certified Japan-grown timber for flooring plywood as the standard practice*2 in April 2018 and began using Japan-grown timber as the material for wall frames in new homes built using the 2 x 4 construction method as the standard practice in November 2018. As a result, the percentage of Japan-grown timber used for the structural timber in each new custom-built home is the highest level among 2 x 4 homebuilders in Japan.
Using its knowledge of wood accumulated over many years, Mitsubishi Estate Home has launched the KIDZUKI concept to promote wooden structure and finishes not only in buildings, but also across a wide range of fields. The aim is for KIDZUKI to be a platform for various wood-based ideas and projects, forming a network to share issues, needs, and solutions among business operators in various fields, governments, and creators.
- Includes Nearly ZEH
- Excludes some products
KIDZUKI website (Japanese only)
See the following for more information on Mitsubishi Estate Home’s record on utilizing timber.
ESG Data > E: Environmental data > (1) KPI > 2. Resources (Waste, Water, Forestry Resources, etc.)
Engagement with External Stakeholders
Engagement with External Stakeholders
In September 2018, Mitsubishi Estate initiated the Construction and Real Estate Human Rights Due Diligence Study Group in which eight real estate and construction-related companies participate. As part of this initiative, the company holds study groups with other companies in these industries on the use of sustainably sourced timber from the perspective of environmental protection and respect for human rights. The aim of discussions at the study group is to deepen understanding about the risks of environmental destruction, including violation of human rights and destruction of forests and to expand the use of sustainably sourced timber going forward.
In April 2023, the name of the study group was changed to the Construction and Real Estate Human Rights Due Diligence Promotion Council.
See the following for more details on the promotion council.
Launch of the Construction and Real Estate Human Rights Due Diligence Study Group
