NEWS RELEASE

March 26, 2021

Totoya to open Japan’s first zero-waste supermarket in Kyoto
Combining Japan’s traditional buying-by-weight style with the latest technology

Totoya, an importer of organic foods as well as an accelerator for zero-waste stores acrossJapan, will open its first supermarket-sized zero-waste store in Kyoto this summer.
Under the same name, the store “Totoya” will consist of bulk refills of organic and JAScertified foods that customers can purchase with their own reusable containers, as well as arestaurant for the evening where ingredients are used up strategically from the day toprevent food waste.
Totoya’s approach to reduce household waste and food loss, to promote the use ofrenewable energy etc. are all in line with Kyoto City’s missions to contribute towards theSustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. Through this new store, Totoya
aims to bring a sustainable, circular business model to life.
The store will host hundreds of domestic and imported food products, as well as ecofriendly lifestyle goods such as solid shampoos, detergents, stainless steel straws thatsupport consumers in living a lifestyle with less single-use waste.
Bulk refills are an efficient way to reduce household waste both in terms of packaging andleftover foods, as consumers can choose the exact amount to purchase in a container of
their choosing. Totoya believes in cutting out single-use waste at all stages of production,delivery and consumption, and continues to work with suppliers and other partners tocreate appropriate ways to procure and sell products.

As of 2020, Teraoka Seiko Co., Ltd., a retail solutions provider in IT systems, checkout/POS,
weighing and packaging, has been a technology partner for Totoya. The company supplies
the scale and checkout solution to Totoya’s Tokyo-based store “nue by Totoya”. The Kyoto
store will see the latest checkout system used for the first time in Japan, which will ensurethat the shopping experience will remain as efficient as possible despite it adhering to azero-waste style.
Kazuharu Teraoka, Chairman of the Board, Chief Technology Architect of Teraoka Seiko Co.,
Ltd. noted: “The Japanese government has stated to become carbon neutral by 2050, andthe bulk refill style of shopping is one great contributor to fulfil this goal. We hope to bring
together the traditional ways of bulk-buying that we have had for many years in Japan, withthe latest scaling and checkout technology.

Technology alone, however, is not enough to accelerate this shopping style; we need to
combine it with collaboration, communication, activism and operational know-how. We
believe that Totoya has the ability to bring this together for the sake of our environment,
and we look forward to supporting their role as an evangelist in this field.”Totoya’s product selection: zero-waste / organic / fairtrade
Totoya encourages all customers to use their own containers for their food shopping, butalso provide options to buy reusable organic cotton produce bags or use the deposit jarsystem in-store. All imported products are organic-certified, and domestic products will becarefully selected to promote organic agriculture. Products such as dried fruits andchocolates are all Fairtrade certified.
Evening restaurant operations
As a way to eliminate food waste from unsold fresh products, a restaurant will operate in
the evenings. The menu will be decided by products that need to be used up or remade intoside dishes, home-cooked meals and convenient preserved foods.
Store interior design
NoMaDos, a creative architecture firm and creator of slowz, an app that supports
consumers to make more sustainable lifestyle choices, joins Totoya as a design partner.
NoMaDos is creating appliances and store interiors that are as sustainable as possible.
Ceilings, floors and walls will utilise reclaimed materials, and will be designed so that they
can be moved, disassembled, and reconstructed to avoid as much waste in the future.
In order to embody the brand concept of Totoya, furniture will be designed to be a
prototype that revisits commonly used building materials and deepens the sustainability ofcommercial architecture.

NoMaDoS’ project team members said the following:“We discussed over and over again what it means to be sustainable in the field ofarchitecture – especially for a time when the future is uncertain, we focused on what
happens to a store beyond its time of operation. Our plan is to ensure that things withusually short life-cycles are able to become long-term assets in the future, and arecommitted to creating a store that is sustainable for the planet, our society, and theindustry.”
Totoya and its partners continue to work towards a summer-launch of the store.
Zero-waste store Totoya
www.totoya-zerowaste.com
Media contact: mona@zerowaste.co.jp