Where Do These Products Come From? Tracing Timber Sourcing Through Site Visits and Analysis

The wood used in MUJI’s furniture, storage items, and store fixtures is all around us in our daily lives. Where does that wood grow, and what journey does it take to reach our products and stores?

To continue using wood, we must not only protect forests and biodiversity but also pay attention to our relationships with the people working in production areas and the local communities. At Ryohin Keikaku, we verify the origin and sourcing routes of its wood and conduct site visits to sourcing areas to assess conditions firsthand.
Furthermore, utilizing the TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures) framework, we analyzed our relationship with nature as well as potential future risks and opportunities. What emerged from this analysis was not only the challenges associated with timber sourcing, but also new possibilities for the future of forests, local communities, and product development, including the use of domestically sourced and underutilized wood. In this article, we trace the origins of wood and introduce Ryohin Keikaku’s vision for the future of timber sourcing.

“Wood”: A Key Raw Material Deeply Tied to the Natural Environment

 Ryohin Keikaku identifies five key raw materials: cotton, wood and paper, palm oil, and coffee. Among these, wood is used extensively in a wide range of products from household goods such as furniture and storage items to interior and exterior store finishes, fixtures, and the “MUJI HOUSE” housing business, making it a critical raw material for MUJI’s products and services. On the other hand, issues such as illegal logging, deforestation, and human rights violations in timber-producing regions have been highlighted globally. Consequently, companies are required to understand where wood is produced, the supply chain through which it is delivered, and to manage it appropriately.

Due Diligence Supporting Sustainable Sourcing

To address these challenges, Ryohin Keikaku has established the “Ryohin Keikaku Group Wood and Paper Sourcing Guidelines” and is advancing initiatives to verify the status of timber sourcing, known as Wood Due Diligence . Specifically, while verifying the origin and procurement routes of wood, the Company is implementing measures to identify, assess, and mitigate risks related to illegal logging, deforestation, and human rights violations. We continuously carry out activities ranging from formulating procurement policies to conducting annual surveys of suppliers, identifying and addressing risks, and disclosing information, all while working to identify and mitigate environmental and human rights risks. Furthermore, by fostering collaboration among the multiple Groups that handle timber, we are enhancing the effectiveness of our procurement management.

Additionally, to ensure sustainable timber sourcing not only now but also into the future, Ryohin Keikaku conducted an analysis utilizing the TNFD framework. While Wood Due Diligence  focuses on managing risks within the supply chain, the scenario analysis recommended by the TNFD aims to identify potential future risks and opportunities and to explore future directions.

Risks and Opportunities in Timber Sourcing Revealed by the TNFD Analysis

Ryohin Keikaku made its first TNFD disclosure regarding cotton in 2025 and conducted an analysis on wood in 2026. In this assessment, we evaluated the afforestation and logging processes, which are particularly closely linked to nature, for the wood used in MUJI’s household goods such as furniture and stationery. For the risk assessment, we focused on major sourcing regions that are considered to present relatively high potential risks related to deforestation and human rights violations. On the other hand, for the opportunity assessment, we focused on Japan, where the utilization of underutilized wood is being promoted.
As a result, key risks that emerged included increased burdens and costs associated with traceability requirements due to stricter regulations such as the EUDR (European Union Deforestation Regulation), as well as a decline in wood quality and impacts on stable procurement caused by pest damage.
At the same time, new business opportunities have also emerged: product development utilizing underutilized domestic wood and the expanded use of SGEC-certified wood for store fixtures. Through these initiatives, we aim to contribute to sustainable forestry and enhance the value of our products and brand.

TNFD Official Website: https://tnfd.global/
*SGEC (Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council): Japan's forest certification system

Visiting the Source to See for Ourselves

Analysis and surveys alone are insufficient to fully understand the environment in which timber is produced and how it is distributed. Ryohin Keikaku therefore conducted a site visit of a factory in Indonesia responsible for its wood sourcing and product manufacturing. The Company reviews the origin and traceability of the wood, as well as environmental and human rights practices, by tracing the supply chain back from the final product manufacturing stage to the raw material sourcing stage. On site, we verified working conditions, occupational safety and health, and the absence of forced labor and child labor, while also confirming the operational status of each process through dialogue with relevant stakeholders. By directly verifying on-site initiatives that cannot be seen through documentation alone, we are deepening our understanding of the supply chain* including the flow of timber from source to finished product and the challenges faced by production areas.

*We conduct site visits at representative locations rather than at every location along the supply chain.

What was particularly striking on site was how unwanted wood and branches from private homes and farmland, as well as offcuts from sawmills, were effectively utilized as resources and ultimately incorporated into Ryohin Keikaku’s products. These initiatives not only promoted the effective use of resources and reduced waste but also contributed to generating supplementary income for farmers, creating local jobs, and revitalizing local industries. Through this site visit, we reaffirmed that wood sourcing is not merely about securing raw materials, but also an important initiative that creates both environmental and social value and is closely linked to the sustainable development of local communities.

New Possibilities Opened by the Use of Domestic Wood

Ryohin Keikaku has long been actively utilizing domestic wood. In this analysis, we have identified product development using underutilized domestic wood and the expanded use of forest-certified wood for store fixtures as key opportunities. These initiatives have the potential to contribute to sustainable forestry and enhance product and brand value.
In addition, in May 2023, we signed an “Agreement on Promotion of Wood Utilization in Buildings” with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and are working to increase our use of wood with a target of 10,000 m3 over five years. In our stores, we are switching to domestically sourced wood for the shelves of product display fixtures. We are also developing corporate-use furniture made from domestically sourced wood and participating in the “Yama no Daigomi Project,” which works to commercialize unused wood generated by the forestry industry. Through these activities, we are helping to expand demand for domestically sourced timber, promote the circular use of forest resources, and revitalize local forestry.

“Yama no Koppa,” Dried Felling Notch*

At Ryohin Keikaku, we are committed to sustainable timber sourcing by verifying the origin and procurement routes of our wood in this manner. We also identify future risks and opportunities through TNFD analysis and verify actual conditions through site visits. While addressing the challenges that have emerged through this process, we are also exploring new possibilities, such as the use of domestic timber and underutilized wood. We will continue to advance sustainable timber sourcing and product development while valuing our connections with forests and local communities.

*“Yama no Koppa,” Dried Felling Notch: https://www.ryohin-keikaku.jp/news/articles/2025_1113_01