Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries signed an agreement to promote the use of wood in buildings with a hamburger chain McDonald's Japan on February 10. The company will use local wood as a matter of principle in the design of stores it will build in the future. Over the next three years, the company plans to build 150 wooden or wood-framed stores, mainly single-story stores, using a total of 5,550 m3 of local wood. This is the tenth agreement that the ministry has signed with the private sector, while it is the first time with business in an industry other than architecture and construction. On the same day, a ceremony was held at the ministry headquarters in Tokyo to announce the agreement. The agreement will run until March 31, 2026.

The company hopes to use local wood in about 50 buildings, or about 70% of the stores it builds in a year. The design will be based on a wood use model developed for stores with approximately 60 to 80 seats. The company will also focus on using legally harvested wood and disseminating information about the importance and benefits of wood. The ministry will support the company by providing technical advice and information.

McDonald’s Japan has been working to convert its stores to wooden structures and promote use of wood materials. The company has already used wood in 145 stores (cumulative since FY2019), including the Gojo-Katsura store in Kyoto City. (2023/02/13)