Updated by "Forest Circular Economy" Editorial Board on June 26, 2025, 10:00 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.
NTT West Group's Co-Design Institute for Regional Development has recently begun collaborating as a carbon credit creation support partner in the "invox Forest" forest protection and restoration project by invox, a CO2 emissions calculation system company. The project aims to promote sustainable forest management by forest owners by encouraging the creation of forest-based carbon credits.
This initiative will provide comprehensive support to forest owners, especially small forest owners, from the creation of forest-based carbon credits to their utilization and profit sharing. The costs associated with the creation of carbon credits will be covered by invox. The company will sell the credits to companies involved in carbon offsetting through its "invox carbon accounting" service, and return the profits to the forest owners.
In the future, in addition to expanding support for forest owners throughout Japan, we will also look into the creation and utilization of J-credits for forests managed by municipalities under the Forest Management Control System.
Carbon credits generated from forest resources have the potential to provide new revenue opportunities for forest owners in response to the global trend toward decarbonization. However, many forest owners are unable to utilize their forest resources due to initial and administrative costs and the uncertainty of when and how much the generated credits can be sold.
The support of companies with extensive knowledge and know-how will open new avenues for forests that have not been utilized due to cost burdens and lack of manpower. If a system that generates profits through appropriate forest management can be established, it is expected to directly lead to the revitalization of the forestry industry, which has been in the doldrums.
