PROJECT
SAGA COLLECTIVE
Japan's first fully decarbonized brand uniting 11 Saga companies. Model for sustainable local industry wins Green Purchasing Award and SME Revitalization Special Award.
WHY
Is Japan’s local industry sustainable?
Many of Japan’s local industries are in decline due to a variety of problems, including a shortage of human resources, aging craftsmen, difficulty in finding successors, and sluggish demand. Furthermore, in recent years, local natural resources such as water, food, and the natural environment, on which local businesses rely, have been threatened by the enormous burden placed on the environment by human society. In this context, the creation of sustainable local industries while maintaining the ecological balance is a major challenge for the future of the region.
HOW
Japan’s first zero-carbon
local industry brand.
SAGA COLLECTIVE is a new cooperative formed by the operators of eleven diverse, small- and medium-size companies leading their respective local industries in Saga Prefecture. It was started in 2019 to disseminate Saga Prefecture’s culture and traditions to the world. The rebranding of the SAGA COLLECTIVE will be handled by SUSTUS, a circular economy consulting firm jointly established by NOSIGNER and Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD).
SAGA COLLECTIVE is a group of local businesses producing diverse products that Saga can boast about. They include seaweed, tea, sake, and Arita pottery. All these products are highly acclaimed in their respective product categories. However, to establish a uniqueness as a local brand, it is not enough to simply gather prominent local products. Therefore, under the SAGA COLLECTIVE brand, we propose Japan’s first “local brand with all decarbonized products.” The products’ carbon emissions will be compensated for with carbon offsets to help preserve Saga’s forests.
While incorporating the existing logo (a registered trademark), we designed the letters in “COLLECTIVE” to have the same design as “SAGA.” And the zero CO2 symbol was created anew. The logo was redesigned for the brand name to give a stronger impression.
To reduce the burden on the companies and the environment, we designed a standard, white box without any printing to enable customized packaging. Just by affixing the Zero Carbon sticker or Attention sticker on the box, each company can continue to sell their existing products as a SAGA COLLECTIVE product.
Communication tools such as cards, in-store POP signs, and websites have a standardized design similar to messaging apps such as LINE. The brand’s PR text and user comments are combined to spread the word. While incorporating product comments from customers submitted through QR codes and websites, we encourage a communication strategy that makes recommendations by oneself and others visually discernible.
WILL
For local industries to
create the future
of their region.
While working on this rebranding project, we measured each company’s CO2 emissions and were surprised to find that over half of the companies had implemented carbon offsets not only for their SAGA COLLECTIVE products, but also for the entire company, transforming into net-zero CO2 companies. (Within Scope 1 and 2 emissions.)
As a result, the SAGA COLLECTIVE has produced Japan’s first company-wide, decarbonized companies in the fields of noodle making, green tea production, washi paper production, satin damask, and laver.
Thanks to this project, people have become aware of the actions and costs necessary for decarbonization and the importance of it all. This has led to positive changes in the local area.
For conventional local industries, this is a completely new project for the sake of the local area’s future. And the rebranding of this project has only just begun. The project is already gaining the favor of consumers, and it will likely lead to the younger generation taking over the project someday.
We hope that each of these industry-leading companies in Saga will become a model for sustainable local production to encourage decarbonization in their respective industries. To make local industries and the natural environment sustainable for the future, we shall continue to work together with the SAGA COLLECTIVE.
INFORMATION
- What
- SAGA COLLECTIVE
- When
- 2023
- Where
- Saga, Japan
- Client
- Scope
- Branding / Branding Strategy / Logo / CI Guideline / Packaging / Promotional items / Pamphlet / Photograph (社内リリース素材使用のみ) / Web / Promotion Strategy Support
- SDGs
CREDIT
- Art Direction
- NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa)
- Graphic Design
- NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa, Ryo Fukusawa, Moe Shibata)
- Web Design
- NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa, Ryo Fukusawa)
- Photograph
- NOSIGNER (Yuichi Hisatsugu)
