Wigs are our main products, and about 80% of their hair is made from polyester-derived synthetic fibers. If customers dispose of their used wigs as household waste, it can lead to CO2 emissions. Recognizing that we could reduce our environmental impact by collecting these wigs and disposing of them properly, we decided to launch the Fontaine Green Forest Campaign.
| YEAR | Covering Area |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 406 m2 |
| 2010 | 1,813 m2 |
| 2011 | 2,063 m2 |
| 2012 | 2,531 m2 |
| 2013 | 3,469 m2 |
| 2014 | 5,013 m2 |
| 2015 | 6,825 m2 |
| 2016 | 7,875 m2 |
| 2017 | 12,459 m2 |
| 2018 | 22,776 m2 |
| 2019 | 24,083 m2 |
| 2020 | 25,089 m2 |
| 2021 | 25,989 m2 |
| 2022 | 26,889 m2 |
| 2023 | 26,989 m2 |
| 2024 | 27,789 m2 |
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The covering area is an estimate based on the number of trees we have planted and the proportion of our contribution in the area managed by the environmental preservation groups we support.
Dr. Sigmund Wagner-Tsukamoto at the University of Leicester School of Business praises the Fontaine Forest program, stating, "It is a very unique activity integrating social contribution and sales, as well as sustainability." The program has been featured in a British business journal as an innovative example.
Nobuo Nemoto, Representative Director and Chairman, Aderans
Eco-Friendly Wig Disposal
We collect wigs that are no longer used by customers and dispose of them in an eco-friendly manner. For example, we have signed a contract with an industrial waste treatment company (J&T Recycling Corporation Kawasaki Eco-Clean Factory) to reduce CO2 emissions. Also, while artificial hair is made from polyester, we do not use polyvinyl chloride to prevent the generation of pollutants in the combustion process.
Expanding the Green Forest Campaign Nationwide: Our Environmental Activities Across Japan
The Fontaine Green Forest Campaign, which started in 2009, expanded its scope in 2017 as the Ecological Project for Green and Cherry Trees. Its activities have also grown from tree-planting in Yamanashi Prefecture to protecting natural heritage across Japan. We strive to further expand this program and make it nationwide environmental protection, aiming to leave the beautiful nature in the country for future generations.
Green Forest Campaign Nationwide Expansion Part 1:
Collaborating with Sakura Namiki Network
Since 2017, we have been supporting the planting of cherry trees in areas affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Sakura Namiki Network
We helped planting cherry trees in the areas hit by the tsunami in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. As the eastern region of Japan expects a major earthquake and tsunami every century, this program aims to grow the trees so that they can become signposts for evacuation in future disasters.
In 2019, the third year of the program, we also participated in the Life Forest with a Sea View project in Minamisanriku-cho, attending its memorial ceremony and planting trees in the area hit by the tsunami. This project started in 2016 to create a place to convey "what we have learned," "what we must pass on to future generations," "what we want to pray for," and "the scenery we want to leave."
Green Forest Campaign Nationwide Expansion Part 2:
Helping Restore a Red Pine Forest in Shizuoka Prefectural Forest Park as the First Corporate Supporter
In 2019, as a new environmental conservation destination, we started helping restore a Japanese red pine forest in Shizuoka Prefectural Forest Park (Ono, Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu City) as the first corporate supporter of the reforestation project.
The park has been loved by locals as a natural landscape mainly consisting of Japanese red pine trees, and is also recognized as a habitat for rare species, having been selected by the Ministry of the Environment as an "Important Satochi-Satoyama (Rural Landscape) for Biodiversity Conservation." However, due to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, it became extremely difficult to secure helicopters for the aerial spraying of chemicals to control pine beetles, resulting in a drastic increase in the damage caused by the insects. The number of Japanese red pine trees in the pure forest of the park decreased to about 1/3 compared with a decade earlier.
In response, we have decided to join the reforestation project of the park. It takes decades to restore the Japanese red pine forest. As we celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2018 and work towards the next milestone of the 100th anniversary, we will continue to support the reforestation in the park. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued this activity while taking thorough measures to prevent infection. In January 2023, 38 Aderans employees planted 100 seedlings of Japanese red pine trees in the park.
Aderans employees have visited the Park on a regular basis since December 2019, removing dead leaves and fallen trees as well as planting red pine seedlings.
In 2020, a small group of employee volunteers prepared the ground in December, and another group planted seedlings in January 2021. To the signboard we had set up, we applied photocatalytic coating, which is expected to have antibacterial, antiviral, and deodorant effects when exposed to light.
Collecting over 100,000 Wigs
By 2021, the 13th year of the campaign, we had collected over 100,000 wigs from customers.