Giant installations made with corrugated board by Rengo Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kita-ku, Osaka; President & CEO: Kiyoshi Otsubo) installed at a newly-established fitness club located in Shinjuku—a bustling district of Tokyo that enjoys a constant stream of bustling people—are attracting considerable attention.

This fitness club is a branch of JEXER, a chain operated by JR East Sports Co., Ltd. To give off the aura of a fitness club, an idea was put forward for giant corrugated board installations that could symbolize the health and dynamism of the human body while made from highly-workable and 100%-recyclable environmentally friendly materials. Based on The Building Standard Law of Japan, these building-housed installations had to be fire retardant, which initially posed an obstacle for installations made of paper-derived corrugated board.

JEXER had commented, “Given that this is a permanent display in a building, we plan to take all precautions to ensure safety and peace of mind against fire risks.” The answer to this earnest desire was RAFEP, an innovative fire-retardant corrugated board developed by Rengo. RAFEP, the development of which was enabled by our long-nurtured corrugated board technology and know-how as a corrugated board pioneer in Japan, enabled us to defy the conventional wisdom that paper catches fire instantly. The printing and processing involved are exactly the same as for conventional corrugated board, and it can of course be recycled. With this cutting-edge fire-retardant technology enabling us to clear a seemingly impossible obstacle, the giant corrugated board installations were completed without any difficulty.

Shinjuku is ever abuzz with people commuting to work or to school. These RAFEP-made installations in Shinjuku daily greet the numerous frequenters of the sports club who burn with their desire to keep fit.

Rengo will continue its endeavors to forge new possibilities for corrugated board and packaging through continual innovation.