To avoid falling into the trap of being “eco” in form only

I am Ikeuchi, the president of IKEUCHI ORGANIC.

It has been six years since we changed our company name from Ikeuchi Towel to IKEUCHI ORGANIC, and we have been receiving an increasing number of positive feedback about IKEUCHI ORGANIC as an environmentally friendly company.

However, every time I hear these words, I feel itchy.

The fact that a company’s production activities themselves are a burden on the environment. Unless a company understands this and works to reduce its impact, it cannot proudly say that it is making environmentally friendly products. We have been working under the policy of “maximum safety and minimum environmental impact,” such as using wind power for 100% of our electricity consumption and making wastewater clearer than ocean water.

Many people have supported us since our days as Ikeuchi Towel because they see the value in such an honest attitude. However, we have been receiving an increasing number of comments from our old fans.

Since we became IKEUCHI ORGANIC, I don’t think we are an environmentally conscious company anymore.

The reason for this is excessive packaging.

When I was working for IKEUCHI TOWEL, we were doing business with no frills, as if we were trying to be “honest to goodness”. In order to reduce the burden on the environment as much as possible, they did not put anything extra in packaging or wrapping. Therefore, we did not even wrap them.

However, towels are products that are often purchased as gifts.

When we became IKEUCHI ORGANIC and wanted many people to use our towels, we had to meet the demand for gifts. We have started to put more effort into packaging, such as making gift boxes, wrapping paper, and wrapping ribbons.

In addition, we pay even more attention to delivery when it comes to gifts. When a gift arrives at the recipient’s door, they may feel disappointed if part of the box is dented. Therefore, we gradually thickened the packaging by adding cushioning material and double stacking the boxes.

The result was excessive packaging that would have been unthinkable in the days of Ikeuchi Towel.

When you buy IKEUCHI ORGANIC towels, you end up with a lot of garbage. This makes it impossible for us to introduce IKEUCHI ORGANIC to our friends and acquaintances as an environmentally conscious company.

The customer is right to point this out, and when we actually sort the items delivered as gifts, they end up in the state shown in the photo below.

Every time towels are sent, so much waste is generated. And since the cost of wrapping and packaging bounces back to the price of the product, the customer’s burden increases as well.

Is this really the right way for a company with a “minimal environmental impact” policy?

In fact, I spent a lot of time worrying about it. However, in order for IKEUCHI ORGANIC to meet the demand for gifts, I had no choice but to turn a blind eye. That’s what I told myself.

However, I still could not ignore the situation.

In fact, I received feedback not only from customers but also from within the company. One of our interns, who works at the store while still a student, also commented that the current packaging would cause doubts among the younger generation, who are highly conscious of the environment.

After all, excessive packaging is not IKEUCHI ORGANIC. We are going to start working on finding our own way to meet the demand for gifts.

First, we will seek the minimum necessary line, such as reducing the size of gift boxes to a lighter weight and cutting down on the number of items to be included in packaging.

In fact, we received input not only from customers, but also from within the company. A member of our team, who works at the store as an intern while still a student, also commented that the current packaging would raise questions among the younger generation, who are more environmentally conscious.

After all, excessive packaging is not IKEUCHI ORGANIC. We are going to start working on finding our own way to meet the demand for gifts.

First, we will seek the minimum necessary line, such as reducing the size of the gift box to a lighter weight and cutting down on the number of items to be included in the packaging.

We also used to enclose paper materials such as product catalogs and “IKEUCHI LETTER,” but we will eliminate as much of this kind of packaging as possible.

Customers who expect surprises in their mailings may be surprised at the simplicity of the packaging. However, our first priority is to reduce the burden on the environment to the maximum extent possible, so we will provide excitement and surprise in a different way.

Nevertheless, considering the demand for gift items, we also need to deliver and package them with some durable packing materials. We will continue to receive feedback from our customers to determine what is truly necessary.

We would very much appreciate your candid feedback, as we want to make sure that we are not embarrassed to be a company with a policy of maximum safety and minimum environmental impact.

As our own way of responding to the demand for gifts, we would like to report on a new initiative we have started.

IKEUCHI ORGANIC has added a simple ” organic cotton furoshiki,” which can also be used as an eco-bag, to our wrapping material.

The furoshiki cloth is made of 100% organic cotton woven in its raw state at IKEUCHI ORGANIC’s contract farm, BioRe India. Towel products are delivered wrapped in the standard gift wrapping method, “errand wrapping”.

In fact, we took this opportunity to start various internal reviews in order to make IKEUCHI ORGANIC a purer company.

For example, we have decided to stop using plastic products for our company’s equipment. We also do not use plastic packing tapes. We have also stopped purchasing additional clear files and are using the ones we already have.

No matter how low the environmental impact of a product is, if other aspects of the company’s activities are not environmentally friendly, the policy will be nothing more than a mere title. This is what I have been advocating for a long time.

IKEUCHI ORGANIC, the name of our company, expresses our desire to continue to be organic, not only in manufacturing, but also in our company itself.

What is IKEUCHI ORGANIC’s way of being?

We will continue to search for the answer to this question.