Furniture Upcycling and Remaking Business" to Recycle Furniture Scheduled for Disposal Furniture Upcycling and Remaking Business" to Recycle Furniture Scheduled for Disposal ～In response to the growing awareness of environmental friendliness and sustainable consumption, we have started the "Furniture Upcycling and Remaking Business" in December 2012.

ASTEX Corporation (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Katsutoshi Sakurai; hereinafter "ASTEX"), which operates a custom-made furniture store MR. This project will be launched in December 2025.

In this project, old furniture that had been discarded will be remodeled to meet the specifications of modern life and sold.

■ Background

In today's age of heightened awareness of environmental considerations and sustainable consumption, there is a growing demand for "recycling-oriented manufacturing" through the reuse and reproduction of furniture.

In Japan, furniture that still has useable value is discarded every year. There are three reasons for this.

Moving or relocating

Lifestyle changes

Vacant houses and old houses

In Kagawa Prefecture, for example, there were approximately 91,500 vacant houses as of 2023, and the percentage of vacant houses to the total number of houses was 18.6%, much higher than the national average. Some of these vacant houses still have furniture that can be used if they are reconditioned.

*Quotes from Kagawa Prefecture's portal site for vacant houses

https://akiya.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/aps/info1.html

■Outline

In this project, furniture that is scheduled to be disposed of or no longer in use will be selected and reclaimed by furniture craftsmen. In some cases, scratches and uneven colors will be utilized in the design. In some cases, scratches and unevenness in color are also used in the design, and the furniture is re-created to suit modern lifestyles by adding functions and adjusting the size.

Image before reproduction

Image after reproduction (1)

Image after reproduction (2)

Future Development and Goals

MR. HANDMAN plans to use this project as a starting point to address the following two issues

(In cooperation with the "Kagawa Prefecture Association for Vacant Houses", of which MR.HANDMAN is a member)

Human resource development and employment promotion for people with disabilities

By promoting the above initiatives, MR. HAND aims to revitalize 50 furniture houses in the first year, and 100 in 2030.

About MR.

MR. HANDMAN is a custom-made furniture store that caters to a wide range of customers, from corporate stores to individual customers.

In addition to creating original furniture tailored to each customer's lifestyle and space, the company continues its efforts to make the appeal of wood accessible through workshops and other events.

We are also involved in activities that place importance on community relations, such as offering hands-on woodworking classes at schools for children with disabilities and preparing for and managing fireworks events for children in orphanages. We will continue to grow together with the local community and support each other as we make the most of these experiences to become a furniture store.

Company Profile of ASTEX Corporation

Location ： Satokura Akebonobashi Building 7F, 1-19 Sumiyoshi-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0065, Japan

Establishment ： October 1, 2008

Capital ： 36,000,000 yen

Representative ： Representative Director and CEO: Katsutoshi Sakurai

Number of Employees ： 29 staff members (total number of the group)

Website: http://www.astecs.co.jp/

News site: https://astecs.themedia.jp/

Telephone number: 03-5925-8537

E-mail address: kensa@astecs.co.jp

Business Activities

Periodic inspection and comprehensive load testing of substation and power generation facilities

Design, manufacture, sale, and lease of permanent and portable load testing equipment

Design and construction of electrical equipment construction Planning, implementation, and analysis of market research

Manufacturing and sales of custom-made furniture

Qualifications

International Standard : ISO9001 2015

General Construction License ：Governor of Tokyo License (Han-2) No. 152622

Electrical Contractor: Registered with the Governor of Tokyo, No. 20201001

Unified qualification of all ministries and agencies: 0000217148 (business code)