ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it had started a rental and buy-back/trade-in business providing used mobile devices to enterprise and SMB customers in Japan through fully-owned (including indirect ownership) Belong Inc. (headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Daisuke Inoue, President; hereinafter “Belong”).

The demand for used mobile devices has been growing owing to various factors including the global shortage of semiconductors, the growth of teleworking, and the increase in gig workers. In fiscal 2020, domestic sales of used devices reached a record high of 1.85 million units, and this number is expected to grow.*¹
In the domestic B2B market in particular, there is a growing demand for a new source of supply of used mobile devices to reduce both costs and workloads of Information System and General Affairs Divisions at Enterprises/SMBs; such work includes information security support and initial setup just like new devices. In addition, used devices are attracting attention as an SDG initiative, because the used devices result in a 42% reduction of GHG emissions when compared to new devices.*²

To meet this market need, Belong has launched Belong One, a used smartphone and tablet rental service, and Belong Buy-back/Trade-in for Biz, a B2B device buy-back/trade-in service, and will be expanding the distribution of used mobile devices to domestic enterprise/SMB customers. ( https://belong.co.jp/business/ )
The Belong One service enables customers to rent high-quality used smartphones and tablets for a flexible period at a minimum of a few hundred yen per month. Belong Buy-back/Trade-in for Biz is a service providing buy-back/trade-in used smartphones and tablets from companies that no longer need them. By utilizing the ITOCHU Group’s global distribution network, Belong will purchase and sell smartphones and tablets at affordable prices. Also, Belong will contribute reducing the workload of companies’ Information System and General Affairs Divisions through direct deliveries between branches and Belong’s operation centers and also performing various operational tasks.

Following the Medium-Term Management Plan, ITOCHU’s targets business transformation by shifting to a market-oriented perspective and enhancing our contribution to and engagement with the SDGs. Through the distribution of used mobile devices, ITOCHU will continue to expand services and provide meticulous support from the customer's perspective, to help develop a sustainable society through the effective use of limited resources.

Belong’s website for enterprise/SMB customers　(Japanese)
https://belong.co.jp/business/