Toyoshima & Co., Ltd. is a specialized trading company that handles a series of processes from the purchase and sale of raw materials, yarns, and fabrics from all over the world, to the planning and production of final products, and is comprehensively developing business in all processes of the Japan fashion industry. For about 30 years, we have been handling environmentally friendly materials such as Tencel and organic cotton, and have been working to promote sustainability in the fashion industry.
Spiber Inc. is a start-up company established in 2007 with the aim of industrializing structural protein materials, which are expected to be sustainable next-generation key materials. Utilizing the research results of artificial spider silk synthesis that founders Kazuhide Sekiyama and Junichi Sugawara began working on at the Institute for Advanced Life Sciences of Keio University (Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture) in 2004, we independently developed the structural protein material "Brewed Protein™" and succeeded in establishing mass production technology ahead of the rest of the world. This material is produced by microbial fermentation based on plant resources without relying on petroleum as the main raw material like chemical fibers, and it is possible to design a wide variety of characteristics and forms according to needs.
In the future, the two companies will jointly develop structural protein fibers by mutually utilizing their knowledge and resources in order to accelerate the expansion and spread of structural protein fibers not only in the fashion field but also in a wide range of lifestyle fields.
Toyoshima & Co., Ltd. will continue to create new value for society by utilizing cutting-edge technology to develop sustainable materials that reduce environmental impact as much as possible.
■Spiber
Founded in 2007. A start-up company that is working to solve global issues in order to realize a sustainable society through the development of the structural protein material "Brewed Protein™". Currently, the world's largest plant for fermentation production of structural proteins is under construction in Thailand, aiming for commercial production in 2021.
■Toyoshima & Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1841. During our nearly 180 years of history, we have expanded our business areas in response to the changing times. Currently, we purchase and sell raw materials, yarns, and fabrics from all over the world, and handle a series of processes from final product planning to production management and delivery, and comprehensively develop our business in all processes of the Japanese fashion industry.
