The Pack Forest® Environmental Fund Activities Report (March-April 2024)

As part of its CSR activities, The Pack Corporation established the "The Pack Forest® Environmental Fund" in 2000. Since 2001, employees have been volunteering for forest conservation efforts. When customers choose to support the fund, a portion of their purchase is donated to help with forest conservation activities in our reforestation areas.

Currently, we have nine reforestation sites across the country, each with activities tailored to the local region. In 2023, we set a goal to conduct 15 forest conservation activities annually and engage 500 participants by 2030. We also aim to have 300 companies support the fund. Through our packaging, we are expanding the network of customers who contribute to forest conservation.

Although activities were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, employee-led forest conservation efforts resumed gradually in 2022. In 2023, we held nine activities with a total of 253 participants. The number of supporting customers is increasing, with 123 companies contributing in 2023. Additionally, 65 customers joined our employees in on-site forest conservation activities.

We are pleased to share highlights from our activities conducted in March and April 2024, along with some photographs.

Tree Planting in Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture (March 23)

The Pack Corporation's 4th reforestation site in Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture, was affected by landslides during the heavy rains of July 2018. Our goal for this tree planting activity is to transform the area into a disaster-resilient forest.

In this session, we planted 217 maple saplings, each protected with animal deterrent covers. Despite the light rain on the day, a total of 54 participants, including employees, customers, and local residents, joined the effort. Notably, 34 of these participants were local volunteers, highlighting the growing community involvement.

Here is a photo showing the process of installing the protective covers on the saplings. Participants worked together to ensure each newly planted sapling was properly covered.

Additionally, to mark the 20th anniversary of our forest conservation activities, we held a "20th Anniversary Forum" after the planting session. The Hiroshima branch manager of The Pack Corporation participated as a panelist, sharing the achievements of the past 20 years and discussing future prospects with the attendees.

The event was also covered by the local cable television network, Takehara Cable Network.

Tree Planting in Fujimi, Nagano Prefecture (April 11)

The Pack Corporation's 9th reforestation site in Fujimi, Nagano Prefecture, began activities in June 2023 as part of Nagano Prefecture's "Forest Foster Parent Promotion Project." Covering an area of 1.8 hectares, this site focuses primarily on planting and conserving Japanese larch (Karamatsu) trees.

For our second session at this site, 19 participants, including employees, their families, and customers, came together to plant saplings. Unlike the usual mountainous terrain, this site is flat and safe, allowing even preschool children to participate. The use of container seedlings also made the planting process simpler and more manageable.

Here is a photo showing participants planting saplings near the red-marked stakes used as guides.

On this day, a total of 700 Japanese larch saplings were planted.

Tree Planting in PG Forest, Hidaka, Saitama Prefecture (April 20)

The Pack Corporation's 7th reforestation site in Hidaka, Saitama Prefecture, has been active since 2012. With the support of a local NPO, we have been developing this forest. Since 2023, we have collaborated with PEARLY GATES, a golf apparel brand by our customer TSI Co., Ltd., to further these efforts. Over the coming years, we aim to restore this area into a lush forest.

On the day of the event, 19 participants, including 14 from PEARLY GATES and 3 from The Pack Corporation, took part in the activities.

Here is a photo from the event.

In the image, participants can be seen planting saplings. Given the area's high risk of animal damage, we carefully placed protective nets around each sapling (shown on the right). During this session, we planted a total of 30 saplings, including 20 konara oak and 10 Japanese red pine. After the planting activities, participants shared lunch, fostering camaraderie between the companies.

Thinning in Shijonawate, Osaka Prefecture (April 27)

The Pack Corporation's 7th reforestation site, "Fureai no Mori," in Shijonawate, Osaka Prefecture, has been active since 2016. One of our conservation goals is to regenerate the land so that the forest can serve as a place of relaxation for the local community.

On the day of the event, 16 participants, including employees and their families, joined in the thinning activities.

Here is a photo of the thinning process. Participants made incisions to make the trees easier to fell, then cut down the trees and removed the branches.

Although the work took place on a steep mountainside, we conducted the activities safely with guidance from the local forestry association.

After the thinning activities, participants gathered at a nearby outdoor facility to make s'mores, fostering camaraderie among everyone involved.