ST to Solve Problems with "Air Business"/Interview with President Takako Suzuki
ST President Takako Suzuki
ST, which has been working on various "air" businesses, will enter the pet market, which is growing due to the corona crisis. The company has its own recycling-type "deodorant technology" that utilizes unused resources generated when thinning forests, and on February 22, it released cat litter care products developed using this technology. Aiming for 3.0 billion yen by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, five years from now. We asked Takako Suzuki, president of the company, about its strategy and approach to sustainability. (Interviewer, Alterna S editor-in-chief = Masataka Ikeda)
■ Entry into pet care with recycling-type "deodorizing technology"
Estepet Real deodorant toilet, size is about 45.5cm in width, about 58cm in depth, about 43cm in height, also comes with a poop scoop
――The pet care product market has grown 110% from 74.5 billion yen to 82.5 billion yen due to the corona crisis (Fuji Keizai survey). ST Pet is aiming for a scale of 3 billion yen in five years, but what kind of strategy do you have in mind? First of all, we will enter from toilet care products for cats. The axis of ST's business is "air", so we are concentrating on solving the problem of odor. Therefore, at this stage, we are not thinking about developing a normal hood. After experiencing the overwhelming deodorant performance in Japan, we plan to expand sales channels to neighboring countries in Asia using EC shops. We are thinking of expanding into Asia this year at the earliest.
Image of measurement of forest air performed by Japan Kaori Research Institute
――How did you come up with the idea of entering the pet supplies market? As an awareness of the issue, there was the abandonment of raising pets. The number of people who buy pets is increasing due to the prolonged corona disaster, but on the other hand, every time I see young people purchasing at a pet shop, I am less worried about whether they are really knowledgeable and prepared. There was no. It has become a social issue to the extent that posters to raise awareness about abandoning breeding are put up at train stations. In fact, in surveys of cat owners, the problem of odor is ranked at the top of the "problems". Therefore, I thought that the deodorizing technology that ST had built up so far could be applied to pet care. We decided to enter the pet supplies market after discovering that the deodorizing ingredients of Clear Forest, a sustainable recycling business that utilizes thinnings of Hokkaido fir trees, are effective in removing pet excrement odors. ――What is the recycling business “Clear Forest”? In 2004, ST established the Japan Fragrant Research Institute as a research institute to conduct basic research on scents and odors. Clear Forest is one of the themes of the Japan Kaori Research Institute, and is an ingredient and technology brand jointly developed with the National Forest Research and Development Organization. It utilizes "functional tree extract ingredients" that are excellent in air purification, extracted from the branches and leaves of unused resources generated when thinning Hokkaido firs with a unique device, and has an overwhelming deodorizing effect. Ingredients extracted from Sakhalin fir include needle leaf powder, tree water, and tree essential oil, and we discovered that "needle leaf powder" is highly effective against excrement odors of cats. By kneading needle leaf powder into the body of the newly developed toilet, we have reduced the amount of plastic used accordingly. Furthermore, by creating a business that collects and extracts branches and leaves left in forests, we have created new employment in the forestry industry, and by selling them as products, we have realized a circular economy that contributes to the conservation of the forest environment. .
■ Sustainability is a loyal customer strategy
――Do you see an increase in the number of customers who are conscious of sustainability in terms of products with the theme of “recycling”? *Please read "Alterna Online" for the continuation.