As a leading natural beef company, Greenham engages in fully integrated production including breeding, growing, slaughtering, and processing of cows for high-quality beef based on its own original program that satisfies requirements including not using antibiotics, growth promoting agents, or genetically modified crops. In particular, Tasmania, where one of the Greenham production sites is located, is known as “the cleanest place on Earth” because measurements by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology have shown the air to be the cleanest of anywhere on the planet. The natural beef produced here is popular among customers not only across Australia but also around the world.

Greenham has established an original standard called “The Greenham Beef Sustainability Standard,” and is engaged in animal welfare, sustainable management, and environmental conservation. It is also focused on regenerative agriculture, and is producing beef that is not only high quality but also friendly to people and the environment through increasing soil organic matter to promote biodiversity, reducing climate change by storing carbon in the soil, and improving animal welfare and reducing producer workloads through pasturing.

As a pioneer in imports of meat products, NST has an industry position and product knowledge that it has developed over many years. The stable supply system and sales network that can adapt to changes in the environment have earned the trust of Greenham and many other overseas suppliers, putting us among the top class of importers in Japan. We started doing business with Greenham around 20 years ago, and began selling natural beef from this company at an early stage.

Around 20 years ago, based on a request from a major restaurant chain, we began searching for a supplier of natural beef. The standards required by the customers call for high safety and quality, and it is necessary to involve the farmers in order to achieve them. At the time, the company that could meet those customer requirements was Greenham. Subsequently Greenham improved these standards and formulated its own original natural beef program (NEVER EVER: see logo below), and has applied it in countries around the world including the United States. This relationship continues today, and in recent years based on demands from the customers, the company has eliminated excessive packaging of its products and is contributing to reducing the use of plastic.

Although the price is higher because the company raises beef based on an original program that satisfies social issues, the role of our company is to find and connect with customers who understand and approve of this concept. Greenham natural beef is a unique product that can differentiate itself from other brands. Customer awareness of the environment and a wide range of other social issues grows year by year, and by utilizing NST experience to broadly sell this natural beef, we will contribute to a recycling-oriented society and sustainable living, which is one of our materialities.

The paper raw material used in WA.CLOTH^® is called abaca (Manila hemp)*, and is a member of the hemp family. Paper yarn made from abaca has been used since ancient times, and its fibers are so strong that it has long been used for boat ropes in The Philippines. It is now possible to slit it finely, increasing its versatility, and allowing it to be used in making fabric for clothing. Clothing using the paper yarn made from this abaca is approximately one-third lighter than cotton. It also provides good breathability, as well as excellent deodorizing effects, wear resistance, and water resistance.

• *This is a fast-growing plant originally from Southeast Asia that grows to a height of five meters in around three years. It has a structure similar to the mitsumata (paper bush) that is used to make Japanese traditional handmade paper, and is similar in appearance to a banana tree. It is a sustainable plant that will quickly regrow from its remaining roots after the tree is harvested, and because the fibers are long and flexible while also tough and lightweight, it is used in items that require durability, such as currency paper and boat ropes, as well as clothing.

In Japan where the birthrate is shrinking, the population buying clothing is decreasing, and it became necessary to develop products and conduct business with a global perspective. That is how we found the paper yarn that had been used in Japan since ancient times. Previous paper yarn products centered on Japanese traditional handmade paper and other crafts. Their uses were limited, however we realized that if we could make products that could be used in everyday items, then they would be useable worldwide and would be bought by a larger number of people. The environmental problems which surround the apparel industry have recently gained much attention. Abaca matures quickly and produces little environmental impact from its cultivation. From that perspective as well, we believe that proposing fashion products using paper yarn made from abaca bring a structural innovation to the apparel industry.

The apparel industry has involved mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal, and faces large problems such as the environmental impact resulting from the CO₂ emitted during this process. In order to resolve these problems and achieve a sustainable society, it is necessary to change the way the apparel industry works. From the SDG perspective, this corresponds to No. 12, “Responsible consumption and production.” The apparel industry as the production side has begun programs for shifting from mass production to production of suitable quantities, and on the consumption side there are also growing numbers of consumers who are aware of how clothing is made, rather than chasing trends and buying and wearing clothing as if it were disposable. In this sense, we believe that creating WA.CLOTH^® clothing featuring wear resistance and durability is the ideal approach.

The largest feature of WA.CLOTH^® is a good material with a balance of sustainability and functionality. We believe it is our mission to carry out further research in the future and to supply this value in the best way. Although we are of course aiming for improved recognition in the market, we are also working to boost overall demand throughout the market. Rather than producing a large number of product items, we want to generate demand through customers who experience the good qualities of the materials.