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Engagement with Local Society, Public Sector, and Partner Entities

We collaborate with government agencies, companies, and organizations to address a wide range of social issues, including the reduction of resource extraction, promotion of reuse, vacant house challenges, and educational support for children. By forming partnerships with relevant stakeholders, we aim to lead the advancement of a circular economy.

Entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with Sagamihara City and registered as a “Sagamihara SDGs Partner.”

BOOKOFF Group signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with Sagamihara City, the birthplace of our company, with the aim of building a vibrant and unique local community and enhancing public services. In March 2023, we were also registered as a “Sagamihara SDGs Partner” certified by the city.
Through our business activities and resources, we are working toward the goals outlined in the agreement—creating and developing a vibrant and unique local community and further enhancing public services—by promoting a local circular economy, tackling social issues, supporting education, and revitalizing regional industries.

Key Initiatives Under Discussion for Implementation
・Awareness campaigns to prevent the increase in vacant houses
・Provision of children’s books to safe spaces for children (e.g., children’s cafeterias and free tutoring programs)

Agreement Signed with Minamichita Town, Aichi Prefecture

BOOKOFF, in collaboration with Akiya Consulting Co., Ltd., Hamaya Corporation, and the Japan Reuse and Recycling Business Association, signed an agreement with Minamichita Town (Aichi Prefecture). As part of this agreement, we are participating in the town’s social experiment project called “Akiya no Takara Hakkutsu (Vacant House Treasure Discovery),” which aims to promote measures addressing the issue of vacant houses.

Main Partner Sponsor for “SDGs DAY” Hosted by SC Sagamihara

As part of our commitment to supporting the local community in our founding city of Sagamihara, BOOKOFF signed its first sponsorship agreement in 2016 with the local J.League club, SC Sagamihara. We began supporting the introduction of reusable cups at food parks during home games for serving alcoholic beverages. In 2021, we registered SC Sagamihara as a recipient of the “Kimochi To.” donation program, a service that allows users to donate unwanted items to support causes they care about. BOOKOFF has leveraged its strengths to provide unique forms of support. In 2022, when SC Sagamihara hosted its first event named “SDGs DAY” on September 25—the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals—BOOKOFF participated as the main sponsor. Our booth at “SDGs DAY” featured interactive corners where visitors could enjoy quizzes and coloring activities to learn about SDGs and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). We also held a sports goods buying and selling area, showcased our sustainability initiatives, and distributed free food loss prevention beverages available at BOOKOFF stores. The event attracted many attendees.

Hosting of the “BOOKOFF Sendai Reuse Festival”

The “BOOKOFF Sendai Reuse Festival 2022” was held in November 2022 in cooperation with local schools, businesses, organizations, and residents, including Sendai City, to foster a sustainable society and strengthen ties with the local community. The event featured a reuse fashion show by students from Miyagi Fashion and Culture College and DOREME Fashion College, a free clothing exchange, a flea market, workshops for creating original eco bags, an SDGs booth by Sendai City, BUY & SELL booths by BOOKOFF, a trading card exchange area, and eco-friendly product sales. It was designed for people of all ages to enjoy and learn about sustainability and ethical consumption.

Collaboration with Machida City: Reuse Festival

To promote a sustainable society and strengthen local ties, we organized the “Machida Reuse Festival” in collaboration with Machida City, local businesses, organizations, schools, and residents. Activities included the sale and purchase of secondhand clothes and sneakers by local reuse shops, a flea market, eco-bag making workshops, kitchen cars from popular local restaurants, dance performances by local children, a bingo game with prizes, and a toy grab bag station—providing fun and accessible engagement for all ages.

Furusato BOOKOFF

“Furusato BOOKOFF,” initiated by a BOOKOFF employee, is a project that aims to open BOOKOFF locations in municipalities without bookstores.
With literacy declining and 456 municipalities in Japan reportedly lacking bookstores (per the Publishing Culture Industry Promotion Foundation), regional disparities in access to reading are becoming a concern. Through the opening of “Furusato BOOKOFF” stores, we aim to bridge the cultural capital gap and revitalize community spaces by offering book-centered sustainable services and places for community engagement.
The first store opened under this initiative was “Furusato BOOKOFF Nishiwaga Town Yumoto Indoor Hot Spring Pool Store” in Iwate Prefecture. This store focuses exclusively on book sales, not purchases. It marked the return of a bookstore to Nishiwaga Town after 16 years. BOOKOFF also signed a regional partnership agreement with Nishiwaga Town in conjunction with the store opening.

Initiatives with Tokyu Corporation

BOOKOFF Group is partnering with Tokyu Corporation, Tokyu Railways, Tokyu Bus, and its subsidiary Tokyu Transee to conduct the first phase of a proof-of-concept project promoting a resource-circulating society where items are not discarded. As part of this initiative, unclaimed lost-and-found items collected from Tokyu Line stations and trains—items for which the legal retention period has passed and ownership has transferred to Tokyu Railways—are being redistributed as reusable goods through BOOKOFF’s platform. To further encourage reuse among customers along the Tokyu Line, we also organize limited-time purchasing events where BOOKOFF buys unneeded items, making reuse more accessible and convenient.

Initiative with Odakyu Corporation: “Machichika, Hitochika Project” Phase 2 – Re:born

BOOKOFF participated in the second phase of the “Machichika, Hitochika Project: Re:born,” a sustainability-themed initiative conducted by Odakyu SC Development Co., Ltd. During the campaign, collection boxes for unwanted items were placed in nine commercial facilities operated by Odakyu SC: Shinjuku MYLORD, Shinjuku Nishiguchi HALC, Kyodo Corty, Seijo Corty, Shin-Yurigaoka Elumi Road, Sagami-Ono Station Square, Vina Walk, Hon-Atsugi MYLORD, and ODAKYU Shonan GATE. BOOKOFF collected and appraised donated items such as adult clothing (excluding school and children’s uniforms) and books. Based on the total assessed value, Odakyu SC converted the amount into gifts under the theme of “Supporting Child-Rearing” and donated these to seven municipalities located along the Odakyu Line, with each facility acting as the local conduit for contribution.

Reclothes Cup: An Upcycling Design Contest Using Secondhand Clothing from BOOKOFF

The Reclothes Cup is Japan’s largest upcycling design contest that utilizes secondhand clothing from BOOKOFF stores. Since its launch in 2021, it has attracted wide participation through two categories: the “Design Division” for students and the “Sales Division,” which is open to the general public. While the BOOKOFF Group handles over 10 million garments annually, some items unfortunately do not meet sales criteria. By encouraging participants—especially students—to create works using these unsold garments, the contest helps nurture the next generation of talent in the fashion industry while also addressing the critical issue of fashion waste. In recent years, BOOKOFF has launched the “Reclothes” brand, providing young fashion students with opportunities to design and produce original upcycled items under the technical guidance of professional instructors. These unique items have been showcased through pop-up stores in major department stores across Japan, receiving enthusiastic support. This initiative exemplifies BOOKOFF’s mission to “be a source of an enjoyable and prosperous life for as many people as possible” through creativity, sustainability, and education.

Collaboration with Miyagi Fashion and Culture College

In collaboration with Miyagi Fashion and Culture College through an industry-academia co-creation initiative, we organized an exhibition and sales event showcasing upcycled fashion coordination pieces created by students using secondhand clothing provided by BOOKOFF. Since June 2021, BOOKOFF and Miyagi Fashion and Culture College have been working together with the shared goal of promoting circular use of goods and fostering personal growth among participants. This collaboration actively advances interdisciplinary partnerships, exchange of human resources, and mutual utilization of physical resources as a model of regional unity and sustainable practice.

Collaboration with Tama Art University

In May 2021, Tama Art University’s TUB (Tama University Bureau) launched a co-creation project titled Suteru Design—“Designing Discard”—aimed at advancing a circular society. The initiative was developed in collaboration with Monofactory Inc. as a central hub, along with ITOCHU Retail Link Co., Ltd., DHC Corporation, Nakadai Co., Ltd., BOOKOFF Corporation Ltd., and PLUS Corporation. TUB serves as the outreach hub of Tama Art University, based at the Tokyo Midtown Design Hub, where it acts as a platform connecting the creativity and aesthetic sensibilities of design and art with society. This project is a social issue-driven initiative within TUB’s open innovation activities, carried out in partnership with various companies to generate creative solutions for pressing societal challenges.
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