Hajime Wakayama

(2009: Then-president)

Hajime Wakayama

Thoughts on creating factory woodlands

The decision to plant trees at our factory locations grew from a conversation I had with a friend. I was drawn to the forest restoration activities advocated by Professor Miyawaki, and instinctively felt that this was something we should do even without reaching the milestone of the company’s sixtieth anniversary. It was a time when many people, including myself, thought that we needed to regain a sense of the importance of our natural surroundings. Our factory sites had almost no greenery, and I wanted to do something to change this for the better.
I was also very attracted by the thought that tree-planting was something we could all do together, including our families—getting our hands dirty working with plants and soil. Professor Miyawaki says that “the highest technology can only coexist with the best green environment.” With this idea I wanted to expand these activities not only to our factories in Japan but also suppliers and our business locations in all countries. Let’s all join together in creating these “life-affirming woodlands.”
Let’s plant trees together!