~Initiatives in Hanamaki City and Yokote City, Iwate Prefecture. Promoting the expansion of sustainable agricultural management and carbon offset-based initiatives through returns to producers~
Green Carbon Inc. (CEO: Jun Okita, hereinafter “Green Carbon”), which develops a nature-based carbon credit generation and sales business, announces that it has, in collaboration with KANEMATSU CORPORATION (President: Yoshiya Miyabe), Rise Michinoku Sales Co., Ltd. (President: Hiroyuki Okumoto), the Hanamaki My Brand Study Group, and the Agricultural Cooperative Corporation Kizuna (collectively, the “producers”), realized the integrated supply of domestically produced rice and its associated environmental value to SKYLARK HOLDINGS CO., LTD. (President & Chief Operating Officer: Minoru Kanaya, hereinafter referred to as the Skylark Group) . This initiative (“the Initiative”) was carried out in accordance with the concept of carbon insetting (※1) at production fields located in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture.
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◆ Background of This Initiative
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, methane gas from rice cultivation (hereafter referred to as “paddy field methane”) accounts for approximately 40% of Japan’s total methane emissions. Most of this methane is generated during the paddy field flooding period, when methanogenic bacteria present in the soil decompose organic matter such as rice straw and fertiliser. Suppressing this paddy field methane emission is one of the initiatives under the government’s ‘Green Food Strategy System’ for ‘Achieving Zero Emissions and Sustainable Development in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Sectors’. Extending the mid-drying period in paddy fields by seven days beyond conventional practice is estimated to reduce emissions by approximately 30%. In March 2023, the J-Credit System Management Committee approved ‘Extending the Mid-Drying Period in Rice Cultivation’ as a new methodology. Companies, including Green Carbon, are now working with individual farmers to reduce rice paddy methane emissions and convert these reduction effects into J-Credits. This initiative represents the first such case in rice production at Green Carbon.
◆ Overview of This Initiative
This initiative is being implemented with the cooperation of producers who are suppliers to the Skylark Group. It suppresses methane emissions originating from paddy fields by extending the mid-drying period during the rice cultivation process. The GHG emissions reduced through this measure have been converted into carbon credits based on J-Credit Methodology AG-005: “Extension of the Mid-Drying Period in Rice Cultivation”.
Credits generated through this initiative see 70% of their value returned to producers. Furthermore, by supplying the produced rice as a set with “environmentally conscious rice” that contributes to methane suppression, it achieves both sustainable agricultural management and the creation of environmental value.
◆ Future Outlook
Green Carbon will promote initiatives based on the concept of carbon offsetting in rice production, using this project as a model. We will not only support corporate decarbonisation by establishing mechanisms for companies to utilise within their own value chains, but also advance the development of a new scheme that achieves both corporate decarbonisation and enhanced value for regional agriculture. This will be accomplished by expanding the distribution of the produced rice as “environmentally conscious rice”.
※1： Carbon Inset
Corporate initiatives to reduce or absorb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within their own value chain (the process from raw material procurement through product manufacturing, sales, and disposal)
※2： Extension of the mid-season drying period
Extending the period of mid-season drying (the process of draining paddy fields to dry the soil) in rice cultivation by more than seven days beyond the usual duration
◆Collaborative Enterprise Overview
◆SKYLARK HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Representative：Makoto Tani, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer ／ Minoru Kanaya, President & Chief Operating Officer
Head Office：1-25-8 Nishikubo, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8580, Japan (Mitaka No. 3 Office)
Established：April 4, 1962
Business Activities：Food service operations in general, and other related businesses
Website： https://corp.skylark.co.jp/en/
◆KANEMATSU CORPORATION
Representative：Yoshiya Miyabe, President
Head Office：JP TOWER, 7-2 Marunouchi 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-7017, Japan
Established：August 15, 1889
Business Activities：A trading company that organically combines its domestic and international networks with the expertise cultivated across various business sectors, alongside trading functions such as commercial transactions, information gathering, market development, business development and formation, risk management, and logistics, to provide a diverse range of products and services.
Website： https://www.kanematsu.co.jp/en
◆Rise Michinoku Sales Co., Ltd.
Representative：Hiroyuki Okumoto, President and Representative Director
Head Office：18-138-5 Fujisawa, Kitakami City, Iwate
Established：1 October 1996
Business Activities：A specialized Tohoku-based rice company that handles everything from rice collection to distribution and sales in an integrated manner
Website：http://www.raizu.co.jp/
◆ Green Carbon ,Inc.
Representative: Jun Okita, CEO
Head Office: PREX North 9F, 2-3-2 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Established: December 2019
Business Activities: Development and sales of carbon credits, agriculture-related projects, environmental projects, other related businesses, and ESG consulting
Website: https://green-carbon.co.jp/en/
◆ About Green Carbon
Guided by the vision of “Harnessing the power of life to save the Earth,” Green Carbon develops and supports projects that generate, register, and sell nature-based carbon credits both in Japan and abroad. The company is also engaged in agriculture-related businesses, R&D initiatives, and ESG consulting.
Its business activities span Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, and South America, creating credits from rice paddies, biochar, forest conservation, carbon farming, mangrove planting, and cattle methane reduction. In Japan, Green Carbon obtained certification in FY2023 for the country’s first and one of the largest-scale rice paddy J-Credit projects (approx. 6,220 t). In FY2024, the company plans to expand this initiative to around 40,000 ha (approx. 80,000 t).
Green Carbon also provides “Agreen,” a one-stop platform service that streamlines the entire process of credit registration, application, and sales. By simplifying procedures and documentation, the service reduces the administrative burden on credit creators.
◆Green Carbon’s social media
Youtube ：https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYO4WnGOHDaVB1ikxheZasA
note ：https://note.com/green_carbon/
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557429326458
X ：https://mobile.x.com/GreenCarbon2019
Linkedin ：https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-carbon-inc/
Wantedly：https://www.wantedly.com/companies/greencarbon2019