Updated by the Forest Circular Economy Editorial Department on December 5, 2025, 10:31 AM 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.
Kirishima Shuzo and Starbucks Coffee Japan will launch the Miyakonojo Resource Recycling Forest Project (commonly known as ODEN) in collaboration with Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, and the general incorporated association more trees as part of environmental actions at the collaborative facility KIRISHIMA GREENSHIP icoia, scheduled to open in January 2026. Industry, government, and academia will work together to create a diverse forest that takes into consideration the local vegetation.
This project is an attempt at resource circulation: composting shochu lees and coffee grounds generated from both companies' operations, growing seedlings in that soil, and returning them to the forests of Miyakonojo. Kirishima Shuzo and Starbucks have collaborated with Minami Kyushu University to conduct repeated experiments creating compost by mixing shochu lees and coffee grounds. Using this compost, seeds such as those from the Japanese chestnut tree collected within Miyakonojo City will be grown into seedlings on the grounds of "KIRISHIMA GREENSHIP icoia." The plan is to eventually plant these seedlings in the region's forests.
This project has been named "ODEN." The name is an acronym for "Organic Diversion Enriches Nature," embodying the aspiration for activities to become as beloved locally as the famous Miyakonojo oden.
With the project's launch, efforts are also underway to create spaces where citizens can experience their connection to the forest. On December 20, 2025, a "Forest Gathering Workshop" is scheduled to be held at Miyakonojo NiQLL, a roadside station in Miyakonojo City. Participants will enjoy learning about the cycle of forest resources through activities like making stools using wood and experiencing the germination of acorns.
In corporate-led environmental initiatives, the process of fostering public awareness of forests as a personal concern is crucial for future regional revitalization and forest conservation. By integrating resource efficiency into forest regeneration processes and opening this project to local residents and customers, it holds the potential to become a new circular model for regional resources.
