Changing the World's Values from Japan Through a Sustainability Revolution

TBM is a rapidly growing company that developed LIMEX, an innovative new material that replaces paper and plastic. LIMEX is made primarily from limestone and polyethylene resin, requiring almost no precious resources like water or wood.

Limestone is virtually inexhaustible on Earth and is a resource Japan can be 100% self-sufficient in.
Furthermore, LIMEX products have a low environmental impact even when disposed of as combustible waste, and can be upcycled into products of higher value than the original when recycled.

This time, we spoke with TBM President Atsuyoshi Yamazaki, who is driving this business that significantly contributes to protecting the global environment, and Shunichi Shibue, Creative Director and Copywriter at Dentsu Inc. Business Design Square (BDS). The two met at the company's founding and jointly established its mission, vision, and credo. What initiatives are they planning to pursue next to realize a sustainable future?

Putting thoughts into words. Mission, vision, and credo become guiding principles

Shibue: I first met Mr. Yamazaki in 2011. We're now called Business Design Square and have grown to about 60 people, but back then we were a small, independent team within the company called the Future Creation Group.

I remember spending quite an intense period of time together. You had just launched TBM and had this passionate vision for the kind of company you wanted to build. We really talked about all sorts of things, didn't we? From there, we submitted a proposal document, about 100 pages long, outlining our future business strategy – what kind of future this raw material could create – infused with our own convictions.

Yamazaki: It was a proposal made with everything we had. For a company that was still far from being a venture, the sheer passion and time invested in that proposal was shocking to us. It really lifted me up when I was feeling down, making me realize, "This business has this many people supporting it with this much conviction."

Shibue: For us, too, it was our first time working with a company like TBM—a company "just getting started" rather than a major corporation. The scale of what they were trying to achieve—changing the world with innovative new materials—was immense. We remember thinking, "It would be incredible if they succeeded, but it's going to be incredibly difficult," and then asking ourselves, "So what can we do to help?"

Yamazaki: When creating TBM's Credo, they visited our office multiple times. They skillfully drew out our vision for the organization we wanted to build and clearly organized it for us. It's still printed on the wall at the entrance to our office today.

Shibue: What I did was essentially "organize" what Mr. Yamasaki passionately conveyed in one go, ensuring its value would be clearly understood when a third party encountered it for the first time. This involved structuring his passion, determining its direction, and clarifying its purpose. To do that, I first needed to fully embrace his passion. This approach to work has actually become a guiding principle for me since then.

Hearing Mr. Yamasaki speak brought many surprises, but what moved me most was his statement: "Limestone is nearly inexhaustible. It's a resource Japan can be self-sufficient in." I distilled that emotion into the phrase "Earth is also a planet of stone."

I had always assumed Japan's scarcity of resources was a given. But the idea of using stone—long overlooked as worthless—to create a new material that could replace paper and plastic, both vital to humanity, struck me as brilliant. That's why I came up with this copy. Since then, I've worked on articulating visions for various companies, but this remains one of the projects I feel most deeply connected to.

I also had the privilege of creating the LIMEX logo. While the business initially started with stone paper (paper made primarily from limestone), I hoped to broaden its potential by emphasizing a broader value proposition – the idea of a new material that extends beyond just paper.

Furthermore, while fundamentally B2B, consumers ultimately choose and use the products. I believe it's a brand that deserves B2C support too. To achieve a robust yet beautiful design, I commissioned one of Dentsu Inc.'s top-tier art directors for the creation.

Yamazaki: LIMEX was named by combining LIME STONE (limestone) with X, representing infinite potential. Looking back, I feel the logo and name have shaped us. We're now at a global juncture where humanity must confront its relationship with plastic, but my perspective back then hadn't fully grasped that. The Future Creation Group members had a far clearer vision of the future. It was this logo and name that made me think, "Because the product has infinite potential, we should focus our efforts on developing diverse products."

The "circular innovation" concept Mr. Shibue emphasized back then is now discussed worldwide. I believe the mission, vision, and credo we established then serve as our guiding principles.

People resonated with the vision, and collaborators multiplied

Shibue: From the very beginning, many people who resonated with Mr. Yamasaki's vision came to support us, and they were all truly remarkable individuals.

Yamasaki: For example, it was truly heartening when Mr. Kazuo Noda, a legend of Japanese venture capital, joined us and provided tremendous support, like accompanying us to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The number of collaborators continues to multiply exponentially even now.

I believe the reason more people joined us was because they sensed our unwavering determination – our strong conviction that "We will absolutely see this through, so please support us," a resolve to sacrifice whatever it took.

The same was true for everyone at the Future Creation Group, right? In 2011, we passionately shared our dreams, but in 2012, we struggled to raise funds for the first plant. Our business capital ran dry, and we reached a critical state. We were truly at a loss and caused many people great concern.

Then, on February 6, 2013, the subsidy from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry was approved. When I called to say, "Sorry for the wait, we'll absolutely make a comeback starting now," they passed the phone around, and people cried tears of joy on the line. I was deeply moved, realizing they had truly been waiting for us.

Shibue: I still remember it vividly. It was truly joyful. Working with such relationships is the ideal, and I strive to build that kind of connection with as many partner companies as possible. Our organization was still small, and it was a miraculous timing that we could work together during the period when Mr. Yamasaki's dream was still in its early stages. For us, it was our first venture and a huge success story.

Yamazaki: I believe every company at BDS treats their work as their own personal mission, but I deeply feel they view it as "our company." Being able to walk alongside them from zero to one is a treasure in my own life.

Shibue: We built this relationship through genuine human connection, and that's what brought us here. While BDS has grown, I hope even members who joined later experience what it means to grow alongside partner companies and to give while receiving. We're now entering a phase where we must work hard to establish BDS as one of Dentsu Inc.'s new pillars.

Yamazaki: We're in the same boat. We've just reached the starting line to shape this for the world. We'll carry the vision you've created with our lives. No matter how many thousands or tens of thousands join us.

The Sustainability Revolution. It will happen, and it must happen.

Shibue: What kind of future do you envision creating, Mr. Yamazaki?

Yamazaki: Thanks to everyone's support, LIMEX has finally taken its first breath. Riding the tailwinds of the times, we're receiving inquiries from around the world. Many express hope that our new material will help make the future sustainable on a global scale.

As we reaffirm the significance and vision behind our work, the phrase "Sustainability Revolution" frequently emerges.

While the world often speaks of the AI revolution as the next step after the agricultural revolution, industrial revolution, and digital information revolution, we firmly believe the next revolution will undoubtedly be the "Sustainability Revolution" – and that it must happen.

We aim to become a top player in driving this Sustainability Revolution by spreading the "Circular Economy" (※) using LIMEX worldwide.

※Circular Economy
Economic activities that realize a sustainable society by treating what was previously discarded as a "resource" and creating a closed-loop economic system that eliminates waste.

Shibue: Just like with plastics, I believe we're entering an era where various challenges will arise concerning the relationship between people and nature. Transforming this relationship into a sustainable one will likely become a corporate mission.

Yamazaki: I believe that by developing mechanisms like upcycling, we can change people's values. Influencing society and shifting values is something BDS excels at, right? I want us to build that together, originating from Japan.

Japan's values and spirit of hospitality—like swiftly cleaning bullet trains or ensuring trains arrive precisely on time—are well-suited for implementing initiatives toward achieving the SDGs. This country's systems, technology, and values are competitive assets. I firmly believe we can win globally by leveraging these strengths.

Shibue: I heard that the company name TBM stands for "Building new value toward the TIME 100 years ahead. Managing it to make it sustainable and improving our daily lives." I think the world of the future will be an era where we need to look far ahead.

Yamazaki: That's right. I want to create a business that will remain for hundreds of years after I'm gone, a bridge between eras. By continuing to challenge ourselves with hunger, we can remain humble and grateful. I believe that continuing to do so is the attitude that makes a company sustainable.

Shibue: I think the Japanese of old naturally thought about things 100 years into the future. Before we knew it, we could only see six months or a year ahead, but I think this sustainability revolution is about shifting back to a long-term perspective. I feel like Mr. Yamasaki gave me the impetus for that.

Stone was humanity's first tool, right? Creating a grand cycle using that original stone is fascinating and moving. With stone, "will" is crucial. It's not just about predicting the future, but about the will to overturn predictions or steer things in a different direction. What we need going forward isn't "future prediction" but "future will," isn't it?