JCT Launches sumite a “Humidity-Control Charcoal for Clothing” Made from Reclaimed Wooden Pallet Resources

JCT Co., Ltd. has launched sumite a “Humidity-Control Charcoal for Clothing,” a humidity-control product for clothing storage that uses charcoal derived from its wooden pallet recycling business. JCT repairs and reuses specific wooden pallets, currently reusing about 90% of the pallets it handles. At the same time, the company has been working to repurpose offcuts generated during repairs and wood that is difficult to reuse into charcoal products and woodcraft items. sumite a “Humidity-Control Charcoal for Clothing” uses these wood resources and applies the moisture-regulating properties of charcoal to clothing storage. The product can be placed in closets, clothing cases, wardrobes, drawers, shoe cabinets, and other spaces where humidity tends to build up. By absorbing and releasing moisture, it helps maintain a better storage environment for clothing. The product can be reused repeatedly after drying in sunlight. After use, it can also be repurposed as a soil improvement material by mixing it into soil for home gardens or potted plants to support drainage and air permeability. JCT states that the product is labeled as a soil improvement material under Japan’s Soil Fertility Enhancement Act. Its key features are simple placement-based humidity control around clothing, repeated use through sun drying, and reuse in soil after its role as a clothing-storage product is finished. JCT also says that moisture absorption and release tests based on JIS standards confirmed that performance is maintained under conditions assuming repeated use. The product was developed with support from Saitama Prefecture’s FY2025 Circular Economy Commercialization Support Subsidy, assistance from the Saitama Circular Economy Promotion Center under the Saitama Industrial Promotion Public Corporation, and collaboration with Saitama Resona Shinkin Bank as a co-implementing partner. JCT also received design support from the Saitama Industrial Technology Center (SAITEC). JCT views wood not as a material whose role ends after a single use, but as a resource that can continue to serve daily life and industry by changing form and purpose. Based on its wooden pallet regeneration business, the company is building a circular economy model that connects reuse, wood product manufacturing, charcoal product manufacturing, and return to soil as one continuous cycle. Product overview: the product name is “Humidity-Control Charcoal for Clothing,” under the sumite a brand. It is intended as a humidity-control material for clothing and can be used in closets, wardrobes, shoe cabinets, and clothing cases. The launch date is April 24, 2026, and the product is sold on Amazon. JCT Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, with a factory in Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture. Its businesses include charcoal and wood product manufacturing and wooden pallet repair.