Updated by "Forest Circular Economy" Editorial Board on August 10, 2025, 7:16 PM JST
Editorial Board, Forest Circular Economy
Forestcircularity-editor
We aim to realize "Vision 2050: Japan Shines, Forest Circular Economy" promoted by the Platinum Forest Industry Initiative. We will disseminate ideas and initiatives to promote biomass chemistry, realize woody and lumbery communities, and encourage innovation in the forestry industry in order to fully utilize forest resources to decarbonize the economy, strengthen economic security, and create local communities.
phoneme, which develops unique apparel both domestically and internationally, recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for T-shirts made of "mokuito" (wood thread), which is made from unused thinned wood. This cross-industry challenge aims to create a stir over the problem of mass production and mass disposal in the apparel industry, as well as the problem of the large amount of thinned wood that is not being utilized.
The company's challenge is to make T-shirts from wooden yarn made from thinned wood across Japan that has been left unused and neglected. All of the wood used is domestically produced thinned wood, which will help promote the use of domestic timber, which tends to be pushed aside in favor of imported timber. In addition, since the T-shirts are made to order, the problem of mass disposal associated with mass production can be avoided.
The production of fabrics using wooden threads was made possible by the advanced weaving technology of "Washi no Nuno," a company in Osaka Prefecture that mainly produces fabric products made from Japanese paper. The company extracts fibers from wood and uses a proprietary processing technology to develop a fabric made of wood yarn that has excellent breathability and water absorbency, as well as a wood-derived aroma and the comfort of summer knitwear.
Efforts to give new value to thinned wood, an unused resource, have the potential to revitalize the forestry industry and local economies. At the same time, it will also contribute to reducing environmental impact by confronting the problem of mass disposal in the apparel industry. The wooden yarn T-shirt is a good example of a new consumption option for a sustainable society in the future.
