Saroma Town, Hokkaido Bank, and Bywill Sign Partnership Agreement on Environmental Value

Bywill Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Yuichiro Shimomura), a company promoting economic circulation through environmental value with the goal of creating a world where people are motivated to pursue Green Transformation (GX), has signed a partnership agreement on environmental value with Saroma Town (Mayor: Katsutomo Takeda) and The Hokkaido Bank, Ltd. (Headquarters: Sapporo, Hokkaido; President: Yuji Kanma).

Based on this agreement, the three parties will work on creating and distributing environmental values, such as J-credits, and developing new business models.

[Agreement Date] Tuesday, May 26, 2026

[Scope of Agreement] The three parties will collaborate on the following matters to contribute to the realization of carbon neutrality and a circular economy in the region: (1) Providing information, services, and know-how related to environmental value. (2) Creating new business models utilizing environmental value. (3) Other matters deemed necessary to achieve the objectives of this agreement.

[Background] Saroma Town declared itself a "Zero Carbon City" on April 1, 2026, aiming for net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. To achieve this, the town is working on renewable energy utilization and energy-saving activities while preserving its rich natural environment, including Lake Saroma. Hokkaido Bank and Bywill have been collaborating on regional decarbonization since signing a customer referral agreement on June 8, 2023. This partnership was formed after Hokkaido Bank introduced Bywill to Saroma Town to advance the creation and utilization of J-credits.

[Future Outlook] The three parties will collaborate to promote the creation and distribution of J-credits to help Saroma Town achieve its Zero Carbon City goals. Specifically, they plan to credit the increased CO2 absorption resulting from proper forest management. Bywill will provide seamless support from project registration and application to monitoring and credit sales. Regarding sales, the company will work with Hokkaido Bank to promote decarbonization in Saroma and the surrounding region through "local production for local consumption."