Dressing Up with Scarf Belt While Contributing to Eco Activities

AILA International Co., an apparel design and sales company of Japan, is donating part of the sales of its product, Belca, to a tree-planting project, "Present Tree in Hokkaido", conducted by Environmental Relations, an incorporated Japanese NPO. AILA's catch phrase is "The more you dress up, the more you contribute to environmental protection."

Inspired by the Turkish fashion of wrapping a scarf around the waist, AILA developed Belca, a belt decorated with a scarf. Belca has several holes that a folded scarf can be put through. People can change the look of the belt by using different scarf designs. Belca has been effective in expanding the use of scarves.

The "Present Tree in Hokkaido" is a project to promote tree planting in Hokkaido, as gifts for the earth and important friends. When you donate to the project under a friend's name, a certificate of tree planting will be sent to the friend together with a message card.

Trees are planted in Horokanai-cho, Uryu-gun, in northern Hokkaido Prefecture. This area once had a rich forest ecosystem, including Japanese spruce, Sakhalin fir and other coniferous trees, as well as mizunara oak, harunire elm and other broad leaf trees. However, expanding human activities and natural disasters have reduced the forest area and increased the bamboo grass area. It is now difficult to revive the forest due to the severe natural conditions of Hokkaido. The project was initiated in an effort to facilitate reforestation.



Posted: 2007/01/08 11:18:38 AM
Japanese version