Nice Corporation Achieves 'Water Positive' Through Water Retention Function of Company-Owned Forests

Nice Corporation (Headquarters: Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama City, President: Yusuke Tsuto) has established an environmental policy as part of its environmental management for the realization of a sustainable society, striving for appropriate forest management and the promotion of circular resource utilization. To visualize forest value, the company calculated the water retention volume*1 and water retention contribution*2 of its group-owned forests, including 'Nice no Mori', based on the Forestry Agency's 'Simplified Evaluation Method for Water Resource Retention (Storage Function) in Forest Land'. As a result, the water resources retained by the group's company-owned forests amount to 8,175 thousand m³ annually, and the 'water resource retention contribution' reached 4,852 thousand m³ annually. This is approximately 100 times the group's annual water usage of 50 thousand m³ (fiscal year ending March 2025), confirming that the water resource retention contribution exceeds the water usage in the group's business activities, achieving 'Water Positive'*3 status. The company will continue to contribute to water resource conservation through the appropriate preservation and management of its company-owned forests. Water Resource Retention Volume of Company-Owned Forests and Water Usage in Business Activities: Water Resource Retention Volume of Company-Owned Forests: 8,175 thousand m³/year Water Resource Retention Contribution of Company-Owned Forests: 4,852 thousand m³/year Water Usage in Business Activities: 50 thousand m³/year *1 Calculated based on the Forestry Agency's 'Simplified Evaluation Method for Water Resource Retention (Storage Function) in Forest Land'. As this is a simplified evaluation, the water resource retention volume may be overestimated by about 10-20%. *2 'Water resource retention contribution' is uniquely defined as the increase in water resource retention volume obtained by maintaining forest land as forest. It is the difference in water resource retention volume between when the area was forest land and when it was bare land. *3 'Water Positive' can refer to either retention/restoration within the same watershed where water was used, or a net contribution to water resources exceeding the company group's total water usage. This release is based on the latter concept. Overview of Company-Owned Forest 'Nice no Mori': Total forest area: 2,428.4 ha Water resource retention contribution: 4,852 thousand m³/year CO₂ absorption: 11,768 t-CO₂/year About the Water Retention Function of Forests: Forests have functions such as CO₂ absorption and biodiversity conservation, as well as water retention functions like flood mitigation, water resource storage, and water purification. Water resource retention volume is an indicator for quantitatively grasping the water retention effect in forest land where forest development activities are carried out. Forestry Agency HP: https://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/ About Nice Corporation's 'Environmental' Initiatives: https://www.nice.co.jp/sustainability/environment/