Horimasa International Company Ltd., established in 1933 in Japan, grew to become a major trader in the field of trading bearings and machinery spare parts. It was awarded an ISO 14001 certification in 2007. The company strongly dedicated itself to the cause of creating innovative environmentally sustainable enterprises. For fulfilling this goal, a green technology division, VEGILAB, was created in 2012. The main purpose of this division is to help the planet cope with the challenges that our planet is facing, including a diminishing food supply, global warming and issues on food safety.

The firm’s leaders gave it a revised mission after this green division was created: To ensure that protecting the environment became a key plank in the firm’s strategy. The company embarks “on a mission of engaging in eco-friendly business activities where the planet must no longer be taken for granted and just employed for personal profit and gain”.

VEGILAB is fully aware that the future of farming is a constant challenge due to the fact that most part of our planet, air, water and soil, are polluted. Alternatives have to be found in order to resolve these pressing issues. VEGILAB has been actively collaborating on various projects with professors in universities to develop aquaponics system, designers on product designs, and Japanese farmers on growing Japanese strawberries by using hydroponics system in a greenhouse in Hong Kong as a pilot undertaking.