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Toyota Boshoku and Itoki Jointly Develop Kenaf Office Furniture
Kariya (JAPAN) - September 3, 2021 -Toyota Boshoku Corporation (Head Office: Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan; President: Takeshi Numa) has jointly developed office furniture using the plant material kenaf* with Itoki Corporation (Head Office: Chuo City, Tokyo, Japan; President: Yoshiro Hirai).
Kenaf absorbs more CO2 when growing than coniferous and hardwood trees. Toyota Boshoku has been using kenaf board, a mixture of kenaf and polypropylene, for automobile interior parts to combat global warming and reduce weight. Now for the first time, kenaf board is being used for office furniture, other than automobile part. In addition to supplying kenaf board to Itoki Corporation, Toyota Boshoku Corporation has also provided the company with expertise in kenaf board processing technology.
The use of kenaf has made the product lighter and easier to carry than it would be with wood boards.
The jointly developed office furniture is being sold by Itoki Corporation to Material Inc.
The Toyota Boshoku group will continue to work to achieve carbon neutrality and to further expand the use of plant materials in order to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
*Kenaf: a fast-growing, annual plant that can be harvested in a short period of time. It has a high CO2 absorption capacity during growth, absorbing about seven times more CO2 than coniferous trees.
Material Inc.'s meeting room
Kenaf board is used for the sides of the stools