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Itoki jointly develops the Kenaf Lounge Chair, a furniture made from the sustainable plant Kenaf, with Toyota Boshoku
It will be exhibited at the Toyota Boshoku booth at “JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023” held from October 26th (Thursday) to November 5th (Sunday)
ITOKI CORPORATION (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Koji Minato) has collaborated with Toyota Boshoku Corporation (Headquarters: Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture; President: Masayoshi Shirayanagi) to develop the "Kenaf Lounge Chair," a chair made from the sustainable plant "kenaf." The product will be exhibited at the Toyota Boshoku booth at the "JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023," to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from Thursday, October 26 to Sunday, November 5. *Release date and price have yet to be determined.
Background of kenaf lounge chair development
In addition to manufacturing and selling a variety of office furniture based on ergonomics, we have set environmental management as one of our important issues and are working to solve social issues through our business. In addition, Toyota Boshoku is working on ``realizing carbon neutrality for interior parts,'' and has created ``kenaf board'' made from kenaf fiber and polypropylene fiber that is lightweight and highly rigid while reducing the amount of conventional petroleum-based resin used. This material is used in some automobile interior parts.
In August 2021, Itoki and Toyota Boshoku jointly developed office furniture made from kenaf, the first in the office furniture industry (Note 1). This time, by combining Itoki's chair design and manufacturing technology with Toyota Boshoku's kenaf board processing technology, we have jointly developed an environmentally friendly chair with a higher design quality.
*Note 1: August 2021, Itoki research
Main features of chairs made from kenaf
Adopts kenaf, a plant with excellent CO2 absorption ability
Kenaf is an annual plant that can be harvested in a short period of time and is widely cultivated in tropical regions such as Southeast Asia.It is characterized by its fast growth and high yield of fiber. In addition, its ability to absorb carbon dioxide during growth is about seven times higher than that of coniferous trees, and by using kenaf as a base material, it is possible to reduce CO2 emissions generated during the manufacturing process.
Comfortable seating and natural design that allows you to feel the texture of the material.
The jointly developed Kenaf Lounge Chair uses kenaf boards for the seat and backrest. The upholstery of the back and seat cushions is made from a tweed-like fabric made from recycled yarn mixed with recycled cotton. By matching the cushions, we create a comfortable sitting experience, and by intentionally showing off the texture made from natural fibers, we create a natural space.
Ply molding of kenaf board provides the strength necessary for the chair.
While thin single-layer molding is the mainstream for automotive interior parts, by layering multiple kenaf boards to form a single, strong structure, we have achieved the strength to support the weight of the person sitting on the board. This combines Toyota Boshoku's unique kenaf board molding technology developed over many years with Itoki's molded plywood know-how. (Patent application number: 2023-009242)
“Meat Lounge” table tops feature kenaf boats.
We offer a lineup of tables made from kenaf for the ``Meat Lounge'' table, which is furniture that responds to lounge spaces where people can naturally gather and work or have conversations. It is finished with a texture that allows you to enjoy not only the material, but also the texture, creating an iconic space in the office.
About the exhibition at “JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023”
It has been decided that the product will be exhibited at the Toyota Boshoku Corporation booth at "JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023," which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from October 26th (Thursday) to November 5th (Sunday).
[JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023 event overview]
| name | JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023 |
|---|---|
| Sponsored by | Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association |
| Period | October 26th (Thursday) - November 5th (Sunday), 2023 |
| press day | October 25th (Wednesday) 8:00-18:00, 26th (Thursday) 8:00-13:00 |
| venue | Tokyo Big Site |
| Venue access | 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0063 https://www.bigsight.jp/visitor/access/ |
| Official site | https://www.japan-mobility-show.com/ |
[About Toyota Boshoku Corporation]
Please check the link below.
https://www.toyota-boshoku.com/jp/
About ITOKI's office-related business
Since its founding in 1890, ITOKI CORPORATION has upheld the mission statement of "We Design Tomorrow. We Design WORK-Style." and supports the creation of a wide range of “Space," “Environment," and “Place" with a wide lineup of office furniture, logistics equipment, ICT and audiovisual equipment, building materials and interior equipment, and home furniture.
In October 2018, ITOKI opened a new headquarters office, ITOKI TOKYO XORK, in order to transform the way it WORK-Style and create new value. With the keywords of ``freedom'' and ``autonomy,'' we are taking on the challenge of a new way of working that maximizes the discretion of working employees and allows each employee to autonomously design their own way of working.
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