"Cooperative Forest-building Project" promoted by Kochi Prefecture
"Mt. Tosa ONWARD Rainbow Forest"
Forest conservation activities carried out by employees for the first time in four years

ONWARD HOLDINGS CO., LTD. (Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Michinobu Hogen) has concluded a Partners Agreement with Kochi Prefecture, Kochi City, and the Kochi City Forest Association in relation to the "Cooperative Forest-building Project" promoted by Kochi Prefecture. This marked the first time in four years that we have carried out forest conservation activities on "Mt. Tosa ONWARD Rainbow Forest," which is an agreed forest.

The "Cooperative Forest-building Project" aims to achieve sustainable forest regeneration and active interaction with local residents in Kochi Prefecture, which boasts the highest forest coverage rate in Japan (84%), through collaborative efforts between companies and local communities, focusing on "forest regeneration" and "interaction with the local community. In November 2008, ONWARD HOLDINGS CO., LTD. became the first apparel company to sign a Partners Agreement. The agreed forest is named "Mt. Tosa ONWARD Rainbow Forest," and with the cooperation of local residents, ONWARD HOLDINGS CO., LTD. employees have been engaged in forest conservation activities, including thinning, in five phases over 15 years (45 ha in the first and second phases, 69 ha in the third phase, 80 ha in the fourth phase, and 80 ha in the fifth phase).

The "Tosa Mountain ONWARD Rainbow Forest"" forest conservation activities carried out by employees had not been conducted for four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, with the reclassification of COVID-19 as a Class 5 infectious disease, 19 employees of ONWARD HOLDINGS Group (15 from Tokyo and 4 from the Chugoku and Shikoku areas) participated under a 2-day schedule. On Thursday, October 12, Shinji Uku, Assistant Director of the Kochi Prefectural Forestry and Environmental Policy Division, attended a lecture entitled "Forest Conservation and Cooperative Forest-building," followed by a workshop on making wooden spoons with Mr. Shinji Hirako, Instructor of Mokuiku at HIRAKO Lab. On Friday, October 13, employees were divided into four teams and engaged in the thinning of the "Mt. Tosa ONWARD Rainbow Forest." Under the guidance of the Kochi City Forestry Association, we engaged in work such as sawing down trees that needed thinning. After the tree-thinning activity, a social event was held to promote friendship with local residents.