Carbon Offset with Rice-Derived J-Credits! Rice Friend Launches New Eco-Friendly Product!

Rice Friend Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Etsuharu Kurokawa; hereinafter "Rice Friend") has launched "Eco-Friendly Rice" utilizing the J-Credit scheme as a new initiative for "earth-friendly food production." Sales began in February 2026 at the company's directly managed retail stores, "Okome no Bimaian" (Osaka, Senboku, and Kyoto stores), and in April through the joint purchase pages of the Osaka Izumi Consumers' Co-operative (Headquarters: Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture).

● Background of the Initiative

In recent years, as the importance of global warming countermeasures has increased, the agricultural sector is also required to respond to greenhouse gas emission reductions. Particularly in rice cultivation, methane gas emissions are a challenge, and a shift to sustainable agriculture is urgently needed.

Rice Friend has continuously engaged in environmentally conscious corporate activities by promoting the sale of products such as "pre-washed rice," "specially cultivated rice," "organically cultivated rice," and "nitrogen-filled rice."

With matching support from Norinchukin Bank (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Taro Kitabayashi; hereinafter "Norinchukin"), Rice Friend has partnered with Suzunari Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Takahiro Suzuki; hereinafter "Suzunari"), which converts reductions in paddy field methane and their reduction effects into J-Credits.

Suzunari has established and operates the "Visible Credit Association," promoting the creation of a system where it is clear "who and how" J-Credits derived from extended mid-season drainage, created by farmers engaged in environmentally friendly cultivation, are generated. Furthermore, it aims to build transparent relationships by making it clear to producers which companies are purchasing and utilizing these credits.

Through these initiatives, the Tsuda Bussan Group aims to create connections between producers and develop into rice transactions, thereby contributing to the realization of sustainable and stable agriculture and producer support.

Initiative Overview

● Product Features

J-Credits generated by extending the mid-season drainage period are purchased by the Tsuda Bussan Group.

The purchased J-Credits are applied to rice grown by conventional methods, and the rice is sold as carbon-offset eco-friendly rice.

We will promote sales expansion as a product that contributes to reducing environmental impact and as a new ethical product.

J-Credit Utilization Scheme

● Looking Ahead

Having experienced the "Reiwa Rice Riot," we have once again realized the major challenges surrounding rice.

The first is the decline in rice quality and yield due to global warming. Measures against climate change are indispensable for our company, which upholds stable supply as its corporate philosophy.

The second is the aging of producers. Our company has been working to support sustainable rice farming and create production areas that connect to the next generation by strengthening sales that make producers' faces visible.

By utilizing J-Credits, we believe we can contribute to the stable supply of rice and the preservation of the global environment through environmentally friendly rice cultivation and producer support.

As a wholesale rice company, we will continue to work to fulfill our role in connecting production areas, the environment, and consumers, and to support the future of Japanese rice culture.

Details of the initiative: Eco-Friendly Rice ~Product Contributing to Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction~ | Tsuda Bussan Co., Ltd.

【About Rice Friend Co., Ltd.】 Founded in 1926. Engages in wholesale rice sales with the philosophy of "continuously supplying safe and secure rice, carefully cultivated by producers, as an agent connecting production areas and consumption areas." To ensure stable supply, it has a specialized divisional system: Tsuda Bussan Co., Ltd. handles procurement and manufacturing, Rice Friend Co., Ltd. handles sales, and Sanchi Seimai Co., Ltd. handles logistics and expansion of locally milled products. The company aims to create earth-friendly food while staying close to producers.

【About Suzunari Co., Ltd.】 Founded in 2008 with the management philosophy of "seeking deliciousness," it is an agricultural production corporation aiming to "help a variety of crops grow." It cultivates multiple crops, including lettuce used by major restaurant chains, and contributes to the future of the earth and "delicious" vegetables by engaging in smart agriculture and environmental/energy businesses aimed at sustainable agriculture and society building.

【About Norinchukin Bank】 Established in 1923. As a national financial institution based on the cooperative organization of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries workers, it provides financial services to agriculture, forestry, and fisheries workers and related companies. It also actively promotes initiatives to solve sustainability issues, including climate change, to make agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sustainable, and promotes "carbon insetting" aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural product value chain.

【About Osaka Izumi Consumers' Co-operative】 Established in 1974. Started individual home delivery in 1999.

Covers 25 cities from Higashiosaka City southward to Misaki Town, excluding Osaka City.