Memorandum of Understanding on Circular Economy Cooperation Signed with Lahti County, Finland

Ishizaka Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Head office: Miyoshi-machi, Saitama Prefecture; Representative Director: Noriko Ishizaka; hereinafter “Ishizaka Sangyo”) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for circular economy cooperation with Lahti Region Development LADEC Ltd. (Head office: Lahti, Finland; CEO: Tomi Tura; hereinafter “LADEC”), Lahti County’s economic promotion organization, in June 2023. Lahti County is a city with particularly outstanding clean-tech (environmental technology) even in Finland, an environmentally advanced country.

Ishizaka Sangyo began exchanges with Lahti County in 2016 and signed a MOU in February 2017. The two companies have continuously engaged in personnel exchanges in the fields of environmental technology, education, and bioeconomy, sharing knowledge and experience through industry-government-academia collaboration global seminars, and conducting joint research. 

The signing of this MOU aims to promote cooperation in a wide range of areas, including environmental education (ESD)*1, regional collaboration, and green transformation of resource circulation, with the aim of achieving a carbon-neutral, zero-waste circular economy.

At the signing ceremony held in Finland, LADEC expressed its intention to connect Ishizaka Sangyo’s environmental education field, Santome Konjaku Village, the only place in Saitama Prefecture certified as a “Place of Experience Opportunities”*2 by the Ministry of the Environment, with Finland’s environmental education activities. Both parties will continue to work together to achieve this goal. 

Representative Director Noriko Ishizaka met with Finnish Ambassador to Japan Tanja Jaaskelainen in Tokyo and stated, “Based on this MOU, we hope to further collaborate in the fields of circular economy, sustainability, and education, and to promote our work globally.” Ambassador Jaaskelainen explained that “nature is a part of Finland’s daily lives, from an early age, and experiential educational activities in forests are actively conducted.” He expressed hope that this agreement will support efforts toward a sustainable future. About

Lahti County, Finland, and LADEC: 
Lahti County is a region with a population of approximately 200,000, located approximately 100 km northeast of Helsinki. Even within Finland, an environmentally advanced country, the county boasts particularly outstanding clean-tech capabilities and has long achieved both environmental improvement and economic growth throughout the region. Lahti City’s efforts toward a more environmentally friendly, sustainable circular economy, including phasing out coal use in 2019, were recognized with the European Green Capital Award (*3) in 2021. 
 
LADEC, Lahti County’s economic promotion organization, is at the center of business initiatives related to the circular economy. 
https://www.ladec.fi/en/for-starting-entrepreneurs/ensure-a-great-start (English)


(*1) ESD: Abbreviation for Education for Sustainable Development. Education for sustainable development. Learning and activities that aim to imagine a sustainable society through experience.
 
(* 2)　Experience Opportunity Site: A system in which prefectural governors certify facilities that can carry out experience activities such as nature experience activities provided by companies, NPOs, and other organizations, based on the Act on Promotion of Environmental Conservation through Environmental Education, etc. (Environmental Education Promotion Act). As of July 2023, 30 businesses (32 locations) have been certified as “Experience Opportunity Sites” that provide experience activity sites and programs.
https://www.env.go.jp/policy/post_57.htmlReference

information: “Experience Opportunity Place” Research Organization
https://esd-place.org/

(※3) European Green Capital Award: An award established by the European Commission in 2008, which annually recognizes cities with a population of over 100,000 that are leading the way in environmentally friendly urban life. 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/urban-environment/european-green-capital-award_en (English)
 
Reference information: About the efforts of the Green Capital Lahti
https://greenlahti.fi/en