Osato International Inc., located in Gifu, Japan, has been focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all business activites within our group companies, and achieved carbon neutrality in the production of Immun'Âge® (FPP: Fermented Papaya Preparation) in April 2009. We have been promoting environmental initiatives, such as using clean energy by installing solar panels on the rooftops of all our factories.

We are pleased to report that our annual carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption exceeded emissions from all manufacturing processes by 204.1 tons* in the last fiscal year, and achieveing "Carbon Positivity", which is one step beyond carbon neutrality. (*Calculated by our company at the end of August, 2024)

Eco-friendly Immun'Âge®

Carbon positive and carbon negative are interchangeable terms; carbon positive focuses on CO2 absorption (being positive), while carbon negative focuses on emission with the goal of removing CO2 (being negative).

■Immun'Âge® and Environmental Conservation Activities
Osato International Inc. is a maker of Immun'Âge®, that was born through combination of nature's blessing, papaya and its unique fermentation technique, located in the northern end of the Nobi Plain in Gifu, famous for the production of rose seedlings and Japanese persimmons called Fuyu-Gaki.  Immun'Âge® is made by the power of nature, and we believe that reducing environmental impact and preserving the neighborhood environment are important aspects of our corporate activities. As an example of our commitments, we have been certified under ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems, for over 20 years, having received ISO registration in 2002 and successfully completed continuous renewal assessments.

We have been working to protect our neighborhood natural environment by managing the greenery and promoting recycling on our property. Osato Laboratory Inc., which is responsible for the production of Immun'Âge®, introduced solar power generation in 2014 and achieved carbon neutrality in three years through production by the solar energy. Additionally, after achieving carbon neutrality through the introduction of "Green Denki," a renewable energy source based on hydroelectric power in April last year, we attained carbon positivity in July 2024 by installing solar panels on the roof of Osato International Inc., allowing us to use electricity derived from natural resources.

Moreover, we launched the 'Firefly Village Creation Project' in 2009 as activities for local environmental conservation of fireflies, which live near human settlements and are considered indicators of health state of waterside environment. In this project, we have been managing and cleaning the grass along the stream that runs near the west side of our factory and educating local elementary school children for 'Lessons to think about the natural environment through fireflies'.

In 2012, the ORI WINE PROJECT was launched in response to a urgent request from the Ono Town Office regarding the effective use of persimmon fields that had become difficult to maintain due to aging farmers. The aim of this project is to create a new purpose in life for the local senior citizens as well as to revitalize the persimmon fields as vineyards for wine production. Experts from the University of California, Davis, a world authority on wine-making, visited the area to inspect the project and said the following: it would be impossible to cultivate European wine varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay organically (without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides) in the hot and humid climate of Ono Town. However, we continued to challenge the harshness of nature, including the weather, molds and insects. Now, the project has grown to produce powerful additive-free red, white and rosé wines. In spring, the BIO vineyards are filled with dandelion flowers, butterflies, bees, birds, and even wild animals such as monkeys, deer, and rabbits that live in the neighboring mountains, creating liveliness reminiscent of a good old Japanese mountain village.

Grape harvest time in summer

Visitor of vineyards, the Japanese hare, endemic and rare species

■Beyond Carbon Positivity, Contribution of Customers to the Environment through Immun'Âge®
The aforementioned "ORI WINE PROJECT" started from a small plot of 1,000m² and has now grown to an approximately 40,000m² with the cooperation of local community, the neighborhood senior, and elementary school children. This project also plays a major role in CO2 absorption. Last year, the total amount of CO2 absorption for our activities exceeded the amount of CO2 emissions from the manufacturing process by 204.1 tons per year (see references), achieving the goal of becoming carbon positive. Particularly noteworthy is the reduction of approximately 400g of CO2 emissions in terms of the manufacturing process for one box of Immun'Âge® (3g x 30 packets), and it has enabled to create our products through natural cycles.

Immun'Âge® has been aiming to protect wellbeing not only for human beings but also the natural environment, and that will lead to a better future for a long time to come. We are pleased to share that, through our activities, our customers now contribute to CO2 reduction by purchasing a box of Immun'Âge®. We will continue to make further efforts to support the "Longevity" for human and the Earth.

400g Reduction of CO2 emissions with every box of Immun'Âge®

(Reference) Calculation of CO2 Absorption

◾️CO2 Emissions from Electricity Consumption including Solar Power Generation
Refer to the emission factor of Chubu Electric Power Group in the press release of the Ministry of Environment, Government of Japan; "Announcement of the publication of the emission factors for each power company in 2023, used to calculate the total greenhouse gas emissions in the government and local government action plans based on the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures."
https://www.env.go.jp/press/104920.html (Japanese website)

◾️CO2 Emissions from LPG Consumption and Combustible Waste
Refer to the emission factors in "Part II: Calculation of the Amount of Greenhouse Gas Emissions" (Global Environment Bureau of the Ministry of Environment, Government of Japan).
https://ghg-santeikohyo.env.go.jp/files/manual/chpt2_5-0_rev.pdf (Japanese website)

◾️CO2 Absorption by Plants
Refer to 2014 Revised Edition of "Tree Planting Manual for Air Purification" (Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan)
https://www.erca.go.jp/yobou/pamphlet/form/05/pdf/jyoka00_all.pdf (Japanese website)