Participation in the Blue Ocean Initiative

Rengo is participating in the activities of the General Incorporated Association Blue Ocean Initiative (BOI), an action platform launched in April 2023 that aims to achieve both the conservation and prosperity of the oceans.

May 14, 2025

[BOI Collaboration Program] NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum

We participate in the Nikkei SDGs Festival/NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum through corporate presentations and panel discussions to introduce our ocean-related initiatives.

  • December 2025
  • December 2024
    Participated as a panelist in the discussion "Japan Leading the World in Blue Carbon: Initiatives for the Restoration of Seaweed Beds."
  • September 2024
    Gave a presentation on "Efforts to Improve Fisheries Distribution through Water-Resistant Corrugated Packaging: Transforming the Future of Fish Boxes."
  • May 2024
    Participated as a panelist in the discussion "Research and Human Resource Development Contributing to the Future of the Ocean."

September, 2025

Developing materials for the fisheries industry that don't end up as marine waste

RENGO BLUE ACTION Report Vol.01

RENGO BLUE ACTION Report Vol.02

RENGO BLUE ACTION Report Vol.03

RENGO BLUE ACTION Report Vol.04

September, 2025

Rengo spoke at a BOI-related event held at the World Expo to present its initiatives.

Rengo Appears at Session 1 of the NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum (Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan)

October 3, 2025

On September 26, the NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum was conducted in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan's Theme Weeks Studio.
Since 2023, the NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum Expert Committee has brought together marine specialists and corporate representatives to engage in discussions and provide recommendations. At the event, held upon the recommendation of the expert committee, key members of the ocean science field met to think about how we can protect the future of our oceans and to share their ideas with the world.
Rengo participated in Session 1, "Resource Circulation." In this session, participants discussed solutions for the problem of ocean plastic waste, which poses a concern not only on marine ecosystems but also on human health.
Taku Furuta, Managing Executive Officer and Member of the Senior Executives Meeting at Rengo and a member of the expert committee since its formation, presented spherical cellulose beads (Viscopearl) and cellophane made from wood pulp that are being developed, manufactured, and sold by Rengo. These products are broken down by marine microorganisms into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms in seawater. They have received OK biodegradable MARINE certification, an international certification for marine biodegradability. He showed their potential to help reduce the amount of ocean microplastic waste by serving as a substitute for plastic products.

  • Managing Executive Officer and Member of the Senior Executives Meeting Taku Furuta (second from left)

Rengo Appears at the BLUE Challenge 2025 "Creating Seaweed Beds: Grow" Event at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan's BLUE OCEAN DOME (ZERI JAPAN) Site

October 3, 2025

The BLUE Challenge 2025 event was held from September 15 to 21 at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan's BLUE OCEAN DOME (ZERI JAPAN) site.
On September 18, a discussion was held titled "Creating seaweed beds: Grow." Companies involved in restoring seagrass and seaweed beds discussed the current situation surrounding seaweed beds, which are rapidly disappearing, and the impact of these changes. They presented the latest initiatives to restore seaweed beds, along with the challenges involved.
As part of the event, Rengo gave a corporate presentation in which it discussed a new approach to creating seaweed beds: its development of seed yarn made of cellophane used for seaweed cultivation. The raw materials of seed yarn are wood pulp, so they naturally biodegrade. Rengo showed its potential to help reduce the amount of ocean plastic waste compared to conventional seed yarn.
In the latter half of the session, there was a roundtable discussion between Rengo and Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd. The companies demonstrated how their respective products could be combined to cultivate seaweed, and they presented their sustainable collaborative efforts for creating seaweed beds.

  • Rengo's corporate presentation
  • Roundtable discussion

*The session is available for viewing in the full video from 0:30:00 to 1:16:39.

Rengo Gives BLUE Challenge 2025 Corporate Session "Building a Circular Economy" at BLUE OCEAN DOME (ZERI JAPAN)

September 26, 2025

The BLUE Challenge 2025 event was held at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan from September 15 to 21.
On the 15th, the Corporate Session on the theme of "Building a Circular Economy" was held. Lectures were given by representatives from Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd., Saraya Co., Ltd., and Rengo Co., Ltd. (this company), who presented the cutting-edge resource circulation and sustainability initiatives that the companies supporting BLUE OCEAN DOME are carrying out. A roundtable discussion among the presenters was held in the second half.
Rengo talked about its renewable recycled materials such as the flooring made from compressed waste paper and the tube board that held up BLUE OCEAN DOME Dome C, our development of materials for the fisheries industry that don't end up as marine waste, and our corrugated cardboard recycling model.

  • Rengo's Corporate Session
  • Roundtable discussion

*The session is available for viewing in the full video from 2:02:33 to 3:15:15.

Rengo Receives Forbes JAPAN Award at THE BLUEKEEPERS AWARD 2025 (BLUE OCEAN DOME (ZERI JAPAN), Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan)

September 25, 2025

Rengo Co., Ltd. has received the Forbes JAPAN Award in THE BLUEKEEPERS AWARD 2025 at the BLUE OCEAN DOME (ZERI JAPAN) Dome C event held by ZERI JAPAN and co-sponsored by Forbes JAPAN and OCEANS.
The Forbes JAPAN Award is given to corporations that can take responsibility for the “blue” of the future in the B2B business field. As a leading company in packaging materials, such as corrugated cardboard, Rengo was chosen because of its active implementation of sustainable initiatives using an upstream-based approach, replacing materials themselves through the use of recycled materials and reducing waste.
Rengo will continue working on preserving the marine environment and climate change measures through the development of environmentally-friendly materials for the fisheries industry.

Please take a look at the awards ceremony on the YouTube channel below.

About THE BLUE KEEPERS AWARD 2025
This is an awards event hosted jointly by Forbes JAPAN, a global business media company, and OCEANS, a lifestyle media company. These awards recognize those who will be responsible for the "blue" of the future; who continue striving in order to incorporate the obvious yet difficult action of connecting beautiful blue oceans to the future into our business and lifestyles.

Event Overview
Event: THE BLUEKEEPERS AWARD 2025
Date: 13:00 to 15:30, September 10, 2025
Venue: BLUE OCEAN DOME (ZERI JAPAN) Dome C, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan
Host: ZERI JAPAN
Co-sponsors: Forbes JAPAN / OCEANS

Talk Session Held on Initiatives to Restore Seaweed Beds During Tsushima Week at BLUE OCEAN DOME

July 1, 2025

A talk session titled Reviving the Rich Sea Forests Through Corporate Power was held on Thursday, June 19, 2025, during Tsushima Week at Dome C, BLUE OCEAN DOME.
Hosted by the City of Tsushima, the session focused on the growing problem of loss of seaweed beds (the isoyake problem) in Tsushima's coastal waters and initiatives to restore seaweed beds.
Moderated by the City of Tsushima, representatives from Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd. and Rengo Co., Ltd. (our company) took the stage to present past efforts to restore seaweed beds and to share future prospects for bringing back sea forests. A discussion was then held on achieving a sustainable marine environment.

  • (Center) Tsushima City mascot Otosha (small)
    (Left and right) Rengo Week video mascots Show and Will

*The session is available for viewing in the full video from 1:15:33 to 2:16:16.

November 7, 2023

Visit to Tsushima City for Observation and Training on Marine Issues Such as Drifting Waste

In Tsushima City, which supports BOI, marine problems such as drifting waste and seaweed bed depletion have had a significant impact on the fishing industry. To learn about the actual conditions of these marine issues and the city's initiatives to solve them, we conducted a study visit and participated in collecting drifting waste.

Waste collection activity

May 23, 2023

Participation in the Activities of the Blue Ocean Initiative (BOI)

Rengo has joined the activities of the General Incorporated Association Blue Ocean Initiative (BOI), an action platform launched in April 2023 that aims to achieve both the conservation and prosperity of the oceans.
Rengo has developed Viscopearl®, a material that is biodegradable in seawater and soil. Viscopearl has obtained the international certification OK biodegradable MARINE for marine biodegradability and is expected to contribute to solving the issue of marine plastic waste as an alternative to microplastic beads used in various fields such as resin and ink additives and abrasives.
Through participation in BOI's activities, Rengo will further advance efforts for marine conservation and climate change countermeasures through co-creation with many partners.