ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that ITOCHU is officially sponsoring and exhibiting a pavilion that focuses on the environment, at KidZania Tokyo (Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo) which is a facility for children to experience the diverse occupations operated by KCJ Group Inc. (Headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO Einosuke Sumitani), starting from April 2012. Utilizing the know-how on environmental education accumulated through the global environmental “MOTTAINAI Campaign” (based in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Tatsuo Nanai), in which ITOCHU has participated, the Eco Shop pavilion will open where children can experience eco-friendly activities.

Objective

ITOCHU advocates fostering future generations and environmental conservation as part of the Basic Activity Guidelines on Social Contribution, which is pursuing initiatives in these areas as part of its CSR activities. Involved in the MOTTAINAI Campaign since 2005, ITOCHU has aimed to make the word “mottainai,” which embodies reduce (reducing waste), reuse, recycle, and a feeling of respect toward the irreplaceable resources of the Earth, an international keyword for protecting the environment, to held build a sustainable and recycling-oriented society. By sponsoring a place where children can learn about environmental conservation from a global perspective while having fun at KidZania Tokyo, a popular facility for children, ITOCHU aspires to help foster the next generation of sustainable society leaders.

Features of the Pavilion

The ITOCHU Pavilion features the activities of the MOTTAINAI Campaign, and visitors will create eco-friendly and original products such as My Furoshiki Wrapping Cloth, Eco-Bag for Shopping, and My Chopsticks to Carry Along, using eco-friendly materials. Kids may take home the goods they created and use them in their daily lives as their own eco-friendly goods. We are hoping this will help enhance their awareness of environmental conservation in their daily lives.
Also, the amount equivalent to one tree sapling will be donated to the Green Belt Movement, the tree planting activity established in Kenya by Ms. Wangari Muta Maathai (1940-2011), for each child who participates. These activities are intended to help participating children familiarize themselves with global environmental issues, and cultivate an awareness of the need to participate in specific actions.

Works for reference

Outline of the Pavilion

• At the Eco Shop Pavilion, children pay the kidZo, the currency unique to KidZania, for using the services.

[Reference]
■Kidzania Tokyo
KidZania (http://www.kidzania.jp/) is a theme park for children where they can experience diverse occupations. The park originated in Mexico. In Japan, KidZania Tokyo opened in 2006 and KidZania Koshien in 2009, and both have been very popular as an experience-type facility where kids can learn about the various systems in society while having fun. About 60 enterprises have exhibited pavilions, with about 800,000 people visiting each year.

■Attempts by ITOCHU for fostering the future generations
Under the corporate philosophy “Committed to the Global Good,” ITOCHU advocates the fostering of future generations as one of the Basic Activity Guidelines on Social Contribution. Set up in 1974, ITOCHU Foundation has been active in supporting children’s libraries and creating electronic libraries for disabled children. It held a Summer Environment Class in which local elementary school children were invited to study global warming and other issues, as well as ITOCHU Baseball Class for enjoying baseball along with disabled children. It also offered subsidies to youth support facilities in the Philippines. The Group will continue promoting activities to support the sound development of youth.

■MOTTAINAI Campaign
The MOTTAINAI Campaign is a global campaign that makes the word “mottainai,” which signifies reduce (reducing wastes), reuse, recycle and a feeling of respect toward the irreplaceable resources of the Earth, as an international slogan for protecting the environment, aiming to promote lifestyles that do not burden the global environment and to build a sustainable and recycling-oriented society. It was proposed by Ms. Wangari Muta Maathai, the founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, and was launched in 2005.
ITOCHU and many other enterprises have shown their support for the Campaign, supporting the philosophy of Ms. Maathai and the Green Belt Movement in various ways, for instance by promoting furoshiki wrapping cloth, eco-bags for shopping, reusable chopsticks, and other environmentally friendly products, donating a part of the profits from flea markets, and promoting click for donation.