Mitsui Chemicals Group Donates NONROT™ Tree Decks to Shiretoko Nature Foundation

In the third round of the Mitsui Chemicals Group’s Protecting Our World Natural Heritage Project series, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (President & CEO: TANNOWA Tsutomu) and Mitsui Chemicals Industrial Products Ltd. (President: SAITO Shu ) have donated three tree decks to mark the 40th anniversary of the Shiretoko Nature School, a project organized by Shiretoko Nature Foundation , which is based in Shari, Hokkaido Prefecture. A video showcasing the Mitsui Chemicals Group’s activities there is now available on YouTube.

event video (4 minutes, 18 seconds)

The World Natural Heritage Site of Shiretoko was the birthplace of Japan’s first national trust movement, the Shiretoko 100 Square-Meter Movement Trust. Today, the Shiretoko Nature Foundation works to protect Shiretoko’s natural splendor through activities centered on the approach of learning, protecting and educating, including environmental education and awareness activities; wildlife conservation, management and research; and forest development. Since 1980, the Shiretoko Nature School Initiative has been held week-long courses, in which children from across Japan spend a week camping outdoors in Shiretoko National Park. The Shiretoko Nature School aims to ensure that Shiretoko’s magnificent natural environment can be passed on to the next generation. Since that first course, more than 1,900 children have spent a week at Shiretoko during summer.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the Shiretoko Nature School, Mitsui Chemicals Group donated three tree decks for the Ponhoro Forest, where Nature School courses take place. The tree decks were made between July and October 2019 with the help of children attending the Nature School, as well as by Nature School alumni, members of Shari Town and the Shiretoko Nature Foundation and many others. The decks were treated with NONROT™, a wood protective coating supplied by Mitsui Chemicals Industrial Products.

NONROT™ Wood Protective Coating

NONROT™ is a highly safe timber coating that makes full use of wood’s natural breathability. It offers outstanding water-repellency, UV resistance and protection against rot, fungus and insects. NONROT™ has become the wood protective coating of choice for many architects, designers and their clients, as it allows the wood to breathe, enabling users of products treated with the coating to enjoy the pleasant scent of the timber itself.

Protecting Our World Natural Heritage Project

• Marine Litter Cleanup on World Natural Heritage Site Shiretoko Peninsula
• Mitsui Chemicals Group Donates NONROT™-Treated Benches Made from Non-Native Bishop Wood to Ogasawara Islands
• Marine Litter Cleanup on World Natural Heritage Site Ogasawara Islands
• Protecting Our World Heritage Project CSR Project Video in Yakushima now released