Laundry Hygiene Infrastructure" Born from Experience Supporting Laundry Volunteers During Disasters, Enabling Continuous Laundry Even in Emergencies; Patent Application Filed
Family Rental Lease Co., Ltd., a coin laundry specialist, has developed the "Ocean Loop System" (OLS), a water-circulating laundry system enabling continuous operation during disasters, and has filed for a patent. Based on experiences from laundry volunteer support during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, OLS is envisioned as a "laundry hygiene infrastructure" for local governments and public facilities.
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- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 08:59
- 🔍 Collected: May 5, 2026 at 00:01
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Family Rental Lease Co., Ltd., a company specializing in coin laundries, has developed a water-circulating system called the "Ocean Loop System" (hereinafter "OLS") that enables continuous laundry even during disasters, and has filed a patent application for related technologies. OLS has been repeatedly researched and developed based on the experience of supporting laundry volunteers during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, and is intended to be introduced to local governments and public facilities as "laundry hygiene infrastructure."
*Trademark application
■ Experience Supporting Laundry Volunteers
Our company provided laundry volunteer support during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred in January 2024.
At the disaster site, the following issues became apparent:
* Water infrastructure stopped, making it impossible to avoid restricting the use of water resources necessary for laundry.
* Nearby coin laundries became inoperable due to the suspension of water and sewage services, forcing evacuees to travel more than two hours to reach laundry facilities.
* The inability to wash clothes led to a noticeable deterioration of hygiene conditions.
Evacuees were given numbered tickets at the disaster area, and long queues formed daily for laundry.
We transported and installed laundry containers and infrastructure containers and received many requests for laundry services from people in the affected area.
■ Structural Issues
Disaster relief tends to focus on:
* Water/Food
* Toilets
* Bathing
However, from a hygiene perspective, clothing can be a hotbed for bacteria, making "laundry = hygiene maintenance" indispensable.
According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, it is necessary to incorporate facilities that support prolonged evacuation life, such as kitchen equipment, bathing facilities, laundry facilities, and vehicles equipped with integrated functions for improving the living environment in designated evacuation centers (disaster response vehicles). OLS was developed in response to these challenges.
■ Circulation System Overview
*Simplified flow
Water supply for washing → Washing → Laundry wastewater → Physical filtration → Ozone treatment → Sterilization treatment → Washing machine (repeat)
● Environmentally and human-friendly laundry water *Development of Jusan-sui (重珊水)
*Trademark application
* Filters, treats, and reuses laundry wastewater.
* Significantly reduces water and detergent usage by circulating laundry water.
* Can be operated by supplying laundry water via water supply vehicles.
■ Features of the Ocean Loop System
* Assumes water reuse for more than approximately one month.
* Water quality management aiming for public health standard levels.
* Autonomous operation using propane gas and generators.
* Can operate even when water and sewage services are stopped.
* Can be installed anywhere with wheeled mobile containers.
■ Introduction Model
● Normal times: Operated as a coin laundry store, providing laundry services for the elderly and surrounding residents.
● During disasters: Can be moved from existing installation sites to designated evacuation centers and opened for free, becoming a laundry support hub.
■ Future Developments
* Demonstration experiments with local governments.
* Proposing its introduction as disaster prevention equipment for hygiene infrastructure.
* Concluding disaster agreements through public-private partnerships.
Kunio Suzuki, Chairman and President, Family Rental Lease Co., Ltd.
At the support site of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, I reaffirmed that the inability to do laundry significantly impacts the lives of disaster victims.
Indeed, we received many expressions of need and gratitude for laundry from the affected people.
Ensuring clean clothing during a disaster leads to maintaining a hygienic environment, preventing infections, and providing peace of mind in daily life.
Therefore, it is crucial to position laundry as part of disaster response and for local governments to prepare for it in normal times.
Based on this experience, we will continue to build "laundry hygiene infrastructure," a new social foundation, through a circulating laundry system that can be utilized even during disasters.
*Trademark application
■ Experience Supporting Laundry Volunteers
Our company provided laundry volunteer support during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred in January 2024.
At the disaster site, the following issues became apparent:
* Water infrastructure stopped, making it impossible to avoid restricting the use of water resources necessary for laundry.
* Nearby coin laundries became inoperable due to the suspension of water and sewage services, forcing evacuees to travel more than two hours to reach laundry facilities.
* The inability to wash clothes led to a noticeable deterioration of hygiene conditions.
Evacuees were given numbered tickets at the disaster area, and long queues formed daily for laundry.
We transported and installed laundry containers and infrastructure containers and received many requests for laundry services from people in the affected area.
■ Structural Issues
Disaster relief tends to focus on:
* Water/Food
* Toilets
* Bathing
However, from a hygiene perspective, clothing can be a hotbed for bacteria, making "laundry = hygiene maintenance" indispensable.
According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, it is necessary to incorporate facilities that support prolonged evacuation life, such as kitchen equipment, bathing facilities, laundry facilities, and vehicles equipped with integrated functions for improving the living environment in designated evacuation centers (disaster response vehicles). OLS was developed in response to these challenges.
■ Circulation System Overview
*Simplified flow
Water supply for washing → Washing → Laundry wastewater → Physical filtration → Ozone treatment → Sterilization treatment → Washing machine (repeat)
● Environmentally and human-friendly laundry water *Development of Jusan-sui (重珊水)
*Trademark application
* Filters, treats, and reuses laundry wastewater.
* Significantly reduces water and detergent usage by circulating laundry water.
* Can be operated by supplying laundry water via water supply vehicles.
■ Features of the Ocean Loop System
* Assumes water reuse for more than approximately one month.
* Water quality management aiming for public health standard levels.
* Autonomous operation using propane gas and generators.
* Can operate even when water and sewage services are stopped.
* Can be installed anywhere with wheeled mobile containers.
■ Introduction Model
● Normal times: Operated as a coin laundry store, providing laundry services for the elderly and surrounding residents.
● During disasters: Can be moved from existing installation sites to designated evacuation centers and opened for free, becoming a laundry support hub.
■ Future Developments
* Demonstration experiments with local governments.
* Proposing its introduction as disaster prevention equipment for hygiene infrastructure.
* Concluding disaster agreements through public-private partnerships.
Kunio Suzuki, Chairman and President, Family Rental Lease Co., Ltd.
At the support site of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, I reaffirmed that the inability to do laundry significantly impacts the lives of disaster victims.
Indeed, we received many expressions of need and gratitude for laundry from the affected people.
Ensuring clean clothing during a disaster leads to maintaining a hygienic environment, preventing infections, and providing peace of mind in daily life.
Therefore, it is crucial to position laundry as part of disaster response and for local governments to prepare for it in normal times.
Based on this experience, we will continue to build "laundry hygiene infrastructure," a new social foundation, through a circulating laundry system that can be utilized even during disasters.