Companies Building Wooden Stores in Kyushu; Aim to Make Facilities More Environmentally Friendly

Yohei Himeno and Shintaro Matsumoto / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

6:00 JST, September 29, 2024

Retailers are constructing wooden buildings in Kyushu because the manufacturing of the building materials is more environmentally friendly in terms of carbon dioxide emissions than is the case with reinforced concrete or steel-frame buildings.

Some firms are aiming to build similar structures nationwide based on the model cases in Kyushu, where forestry is thriving.

On Sept. 6, Tokyo-based Ryohin Keikaku Co., the operator of the Muji brand, opened its first large-scale wooden store in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. The company said that by constructing the outlet with a wood-grain finish and wooden interior, it was able to reduce CO2 emissions by about 40% when producing the building materials, compared with a steel-frame structure.

Ryohin Keikaku opened another wooden store in Hita, Oita Prefecture, on Friday and plans to open several such stores every year.

The company has been using wood produced in Kyushu as the raw material for notebooks and other products.

“We want to use timber from forest thinning and other materials to help preserve forests,” a Ryohin Keikaku official said.

In April, Autobacs Seven Co., a Tokyo-based auto parts retailer, opened its first wooden store in Saga. The outlet’s exterior is just like other Autobacs stores, but inside, customers can look up at the ceiling and see the shop’s wooden framework.

The company said that the store can help conserve energy through its thermal insulation properties and contribute to the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

“It also had the effect of partially curbing the rising cost of construction materials,” an Autobacs spokesperson said.

Of the about 100 new stores the company plans to open over the next three years, 10 or so are slated to be wooden structures.

Local production for local consumption

One reason why companies are introducing wooden stores is the growing global awareness of environmental issues. Forests absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, and products made from thinned wood have a relatively low environmental impact during their manufacturing process.

By building such stores, companies can also highlight their environmental activities to consumers and investors.

Forestry is thriving in Kyushu, and the island’s abundant supply of timber is another factor behind these moves.

According to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, the forestry industry in Kyushu generated ¥112.9 billion in economic value in 2021, accounting for about 20% of the national total. It also was the highest regional value.

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. opened a wooden store in Fukuoka in August, and about 40% of the wood used to build the outlet was from the city. Dubbing it a “next-generation environmentally friendly store” equipped with a solar power generation system and storage batteries, Seven-Eleven aims to build such stores nationwide.

The new store “will mark the beginning of efforts to create social value, including decarbonization efforts,” Seven-Eleven Executive Officer Tomohiro Akutsu said at the opening ceremony of the outlet.

Strict conditions

The government has been focusing its efforts on providing support for the construction of wooden buildings. The Forestry Agency has established a system to promote such construction through collaboration between local governments and companies.

The agency has also included funds in its budgetary requests for fiscal 2025 for measures to support the construction of wooden commercial facilities.

However, there are some challenges unique to constructing wooden commercial buildings. In order to meet fire and earthquake resistance standards, there are strict requirements for a building’s location and the quality of materials used for the structures.

There is also a shortage of experts on the design and construction of such buildings compared to the construction of houses.

“Building wooden commercial structures is a way to make effective use of domestic timber, and there is room for expansion in this area in the future,” an agency official said.