Our Environmental Efforts

A green and abundant earth for our children's future — one step at a time, starting with what we can do

The trees that become our toys have spent decades, even centuries, putting down roots in the earth, sheltering countless lives in their roots, trunks, branches and leaves. As a company that works with wood, Comomg is grateful for these blessings, and we are taking action, one step at a time, starting with what we can do, to pass on a green and abundant earth to the next generation.

Using local wood

Comomg makes a point of using Japanese wood, especially wood from our own region. Donguri Hinoki, the Donguri House and its furniture, the Donguri Slope, Uminy, Umany and Robany, and the stands for our kabuto are made with hinoki (Japanese cypress) grown in Saitama Prefecture. Making use of local wood helps nurture healthy forests, gives back to the community, and reduces the fuel needed for transport. The grain and knots unique to hinoki, along with its gentle fragrance, are gifts from the trees of our region.

"Donguri Korokoro Aizome" is made from hinoki of "Nishikawa timber," grown in the Hanno area of Saitama Prefecture. Comomg shapes it into Donguri Korokoro in Kawaguchi, and Ishiori Shoten, founded in 1910 (Meiji 43), dyes each piece by hand using the Bushu Shoaizome technique it has carried on. From where the tree grew to the woodworking and the indigo dyeing, it is a wooden toy made entirely in Saitama.

Machinoki Project

"Local wood for local children." The Machinoki Project gives new life as toys to local wood that used to be thrown away, such as Kawaguchi's street trees. In July 2021 we ran a crowdfunding campaign, and thanks to everyone's support we installed a sawmill to turn trees into usable lumber. The project got fully underway in July 2022, and we also work together with woodworking shops in the city.

Furusato Donguri

This initiative makes Donguri Korokoro from wood that would otherwise be thrown away in communities across Japan. Started in 2024, it turns trees grown in each area into playthings for children. They are sold periodically, mainly through our official online shop for customers in Japan.

The wood we use

The main woods Comomg uses are beech, maple, walnut, zelkova and hinoki. We also use wood certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

While we use some laminated timber and plywood, we mainly use solid wood. Solid wood is natural timber cut from a log and dried slowly over time. It has no joints, and since every piece differs in its knots, color and grain, each toy made from it has its own character. When you hold one of our toys, we hope you will enjoy these differences in grain and texture.

Using wood to the very end

Comomg's manufacturing philosophy, "Our commitment to craftsmanship," includes the words: "We use resources without waste, and with care suited to their condition, we give them value to the very end."

No waste in milling
Toymaking begins with milling, cutting pieces of the required size from a board. We plan our cuts carefully to avoid waste at this stage, and in the processing that follows we also work to keep discarded wood to a minimum.

Making use of offcuts
Offcuts from milling are kept rather than thrown away, and used as materials for workshops and more.

Wood shavings as cushioning
Machining wood produces a large amount of wood shavings. Shavings in good condition are used as cushioning material when we ship our products. When you open the box, the gentle scent of wood arrives along with your order.

Certifications for our environmental efforts

The first item of the 2030 Vision created by our employees is "For a green future, let's strive to be people and a company that are kind to the earth." In recognition of these efforts, Comomg was registered as a "Saitama Prefecture Environmental SDGs Declaration Company" in 2020 and certified as an "SDGs Partner Company" in 2021. (For our other certifications, please see "Certifications & Awards.")