Newsニュース

2023.07.20

First in Japan: Spread Joins Over 30 Vertical Farming Companies In Pursuit of Sustainable Food System

Spread Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Japan; CEO: Shinji Inada) has joined over 30 leading global vertical farming companies by signing the Vertical Farming Manifesto and Identity Statement. This is the first time a Japanese company participates in these initiatives, aimed at building a sustainable global food system.

About Vertical Farming Manifesto and Identity Statement

The documents were first formulated and signed by more than 20 of the world’s leading vertical farming companies in Brussels, Belgium in September 2022. They highlight the need for reform of the existing food systems to respond to pressing social and environmental issues, such as climate change, population growth, and economic disparity, and explain how vertical farms can greatly contribute to solving these issues. On the other hand, they aim to cooperate with traditional agriculture to achieve the goal of increasing the production volume and realizing a sustainable food supply for the growing population.
It is also an attempt to formulate future guidelines for the vertical farming industry, and a declaration of commitment to making vertical farming even more sustainable through decarbonization, switch to green energy, measuring environmental impact and ensuring transparency, and working closely with globally accepted impact frameworks such United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) etc.

The Vertical Farming Manifesto
Vertical Farming Identity Statement

About Spread’s Participation

Our company was established in 2006 with an aim to “create a sustainable society where future generations can attain peace of mind.” Despite vertical farming industry is currently going through difficult times due to escalating costs of energy and materials, we at Spread decided this is a good timing express our support and agreement with values, expressed by our peers around the world in VF Identity Statement and Industry Manifesto.
Vertical farming can overcome short-term difficulties through further productivity improvement.
There is a Japanese concept of “kaizen”, which means “continuous improvement of productivity”.
We believe that both “kaizen” and technological innovation through R&D are essential for solving the issue.

CEO Shinji Inada’s Message

We strongly believe, that as the food security risks will continue to increase, building a supply system where everyone has an access to quality and nutritious food is crucial for our future.
We believe that vertical farming, which is essentially a fusion of agriculture and technology will play an important role in creating more resilient and sustainable food production system, and we are excited to work together with our partners around the world.