Social Impact Assessments and Progress Reports
Project to Take on the Challenge of Decarbonizing the Construction Industry Receives Grant
As of April 3th, 2026
| Grant amount |
¥98 million |
|---|---|
| Recipient |
NewNorm Design, Inc. ("NND", Head Office: Tokyo) |
| Issue finder |
Fara Taraie (CEO) |
| Social issue targeted |
Mitigation of high environmental loads in the construction industry through the reduction of construction material leftover and CO2 emissions |
| Press release |
Social issue: Reduce construction material waste and CO2 emissions in the construction industry
In recent years, investors have been increasingly focusing on sustainability impacts, including environmental factors, as criteria when investing in businesses or selecting building projects to invest in. According to a World Bank report, the quantity of urban solid waste, including construction waste, is expected to rise from a global total of approximately 1.3 billion tons in 2012 to 2.2 billion tons by 2025.
NND is helping to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the lifecycles of buildings, from design, construction, and renovation through to demolition, by promoting the sustainable use of construction materials. It has established "matinno", a software service (SaaS) platform to prevent wastage through the sharing of information about surplus construction materials from manufacturing processes and construction sites, so that materials that would otherwise have been scrapped can be recycled and reused. NND contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions by promoting the recycling and reuse of surplus construction materials leftover through "matinno".
This grant from the Mitsui & Co. Co-creation Fund will allow Mitsui to work with NND to realize a decarbonized society by supporting efforts to recycle surplus construction materials leftover and accelerate the reduction of CO2 emissions. Mitsui will use its construction industry networks and link NND's "matinno" platform with its own platforms, such as the "steelnavi" building information modeling (BIM) platform for steel frame buildings, and the "LCA Plus" platform, which visualizes greenhouse gas emissions at the individual product level.
Social Impact Assessments (Logic Model and KPIs)
Dialogue between issue finder and co-creator
Interviewer: Yuichi Nakamura (Mitsui & Co., right)
Interviewer: Fara Taraie (NewNorm Design, left)
Nakamura: I have been involved in business in Japan’s construction industry for many years at Mitsui & Co. What led you to take on the challenge of the Japanese construction industry, and what inspired you to establish NewNorm Design?
Taraie: When I was struggling to secure funding and founding members, I learned online that Mitsui & Co. had launched a new initiative to support startups tackling social issues, both financially and through human resources. After contacting the Fund Team, I was introduced to several Mitsui & Co. employees with extensive experience in the construction industry, including you, Mr. Nakamura, who supported our vision.
Nakamura: I was genuinely impressed by your willingness to take on challenges in a way that I cannot imagine myself doing, and I wanted to support you.
Nakamura: What impressions did you have after actually using the Mitsui & Co. Co-creation Fund?
Taraie: Small startups like ours lack a stable revenue base and find it difficult to hire experienced personnel for management and marketing. We have used the initial funding primarily as working capital and for system development to build our platform. Unlike a simple donation, this fund allows experienced Mitsui & Co. employees to support management alongside us, which has been invaluable.
Nakamura: I also aspire to run my own company one day, so supporting startups has been a great learning experience for me as well.
Nakamura: What do you expect from your co-creators, and what value is being created through collaboration?
Taraie: By leveraging Mitsui & Co.’s business team and customer networks across various industries, we are able to accelerate the realization of our business. The industry expertise, risk management know-how, and negotiation experience that our co-creation partners bring are all extremely helpful.
Nakamura: Although there are limits to what I can contribute in terms of time and capability, I will continue to do my best to support you.
Nakamura: What do you believe is necessary to solve the waste issue in the construction industry?
Taraie: I believe it requires steady efforts to educate and raise awareness among all people living on this planet about environmental issues and solutions. Effective waste management, as envisioned by the circular economy, is a collective responsibility that society as a whole must share.
Nakamura: What are other initiatives you are undertaking as part of the “matinno” business to contribute to society?
Taraie: Enhancing the range of materials listed on the “matinno” platform directly increases its value. We outsource large-scale data input and verification tasks to people with disabilities. Our goal is to build an open platform where all stakeholders — regardless of ability — can participate and collaborate.
Nakamura: What do you expect from the Mitsui & Co. Co-creation Fund and its ecosystem going forward?
Taraie: Rather than being a one-off donation, the structure of the Mitsui & Co. Co-creation Fund — where issue finders work with Mitsui & Co. employees to build businesses and solve social issues — is truly outstanding. Although still a unique initiative among Japanese companies, I hope Mitsui & Co.’s influence will help positively spread similar efforts throughout society.
Nakamura: Thank you very much for sharing your valuable insights today.
Activity Highlights
1.Creation of a Database for Equipment and Material Data on the SaaS Platform “matinno”: Against the first-year target of 5,000 equipment and material entries, approximately 600 items have been uploaded.
The operation of the SaaS platform “matinno” was launched in January 2026. The platform provides end-to-end support across the entire lifecycle of construction materials, ranging from environmental assessment of materials to search, matching, and project management. To date, approximately 600 equipment and material data entries have been recorded and their environmental assessments have been completed. In order to handle the large volume of data entry required, a collaborative framework is being established, including the outsourcing of work to an organization employing persons with disabilities.
2.Conclusion of Contracts with Key Partners: Against the first-year targets of three contracts and 16 communication-based engagements, five contracts have been concluded and collaborative discussions are ongoing with more than 30 potential user companies.
Proof-of-concept (PoC) initiatives are currently underway with respect to five function development projects tailored to the specific needs of companies that are expected to be key partners with major developers, architectural design firms, electronics manufacturers, housing manufacturers, etc. In addition, as of December 2025, communications have been conducted with more than 30 companies, including both existing platform users and prospective users.
3.Contribution to Waste Reduction through Material Recycling and Reuse: Against the target of executing 20 projects by the fiscal year ending March 2028, two projects have been implemented.
Reusable equipment and materials that were used only during the six-month exhibition period at two pavilions of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, which concluded in October 2025, were supplied to renovation projects in Tokyo and Osaka. As a result, these initiatives contributed to a reduction of more than five tons of waste and a reduction of 145 tons of CO₂ emissions.
4.Initiatives to Drive a Mindset Shift in the Construction Industry: As a short-term objective, PR activities have been implemented to promote sustainable impact initiatives in the construction industry.
In November 2025, a “Talk Session & Workshop” was held with the participation of economists, university professors, and representatives from 35 partner companies (totaling more than 50 participants), with the aim of transforming mindsets in the construction industry and promoting inter-company networking.
Mitsui’s Materiality
“Build brighter futures, everywhere” as our corporate mission, and to gain the trust and expectations of our stakeholders to realize a better tomorrow for earth and for people around the world, we have identified six material issues (“Materiality”) for Mitsui’s sustainable growth. We anticipate this particular project/ business to contribute especially to the realization of “Foster a well-being society” and “Empower our people to build brighter futures”
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Establish a foundation for sustainable and stable supply
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Create a community coexisting with nature
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Foster a well-being society
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Cultivate societies that respect human rights
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Empower our people to build brighter futures
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Build an organization with integrity
