ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that a paper apron made of PAPTIC, a new type of material handled by ITOCHU, was selected for the family set meals provided in Restaurant Moominvalley operated inside the Moominvalley Park (Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture).

PAPTIC is a new type of material made of sustainable wood fiber developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. (VTT). While featuring flexibility and strength, it has great potential to help reduce environmental impact since it can be recycled along with paper. ITOCHU was introduced to Paptic Ltd (hereinafter "Paptic") by the Commercial Section of the Embassy of Finland in 2020 and is now operating as Paptic's strategic marketing partner in Japan.

Moominvalley Park offers a firsthand experience of the world of Moomin created by an author who was born in Finland, one of the world's most environmentally friendly countries. The park promotes efforts to contribute to the global environment and decided to use the paper apron, giving high marks to its strength for reuse, its smooth and flexible texture, its recyclability as paper, and the affinity of values with Paptic, a promoter of co-existence with nature. Hoping to add an exciting touch to a precious family holiday, the PAPTIC-made apron has an artistically designed print featuring the Moomins and their friends who are spending time in their own way.

ITOCHU and Moominvalley Park will jointly develop the PAPTIC-made products to develop new applications following the paper apron.

ITOCHU has set "Contribute to and strengthen initiatives for the SDGs" as one of the Basic Policies in its medium-term management plan, and will continue contributing to the development of a sustainable society by marketing eco-friendly materials such as PAPTIC to reduce environmental impacts in the future.