Technology Entrepreneurship Project (ENT 600) : Asics Corporation / Najihah Athilah Ramlee

ASICS Corporation was founded on September 1, 1949 and started as Onitsuka Co., Ltd at first. The founder of the first company was Kihachiro Onitsuka. Onitsuka was established ONITSUKA Shokai in Kobe in 1949 and later got recognized as ONITSUKA Co., Ltd. The company’s name was changed to ASICS as the acronym for “Anima Sana In Corpore Sano”, a Latin expression which gives the meaning a sound mind in a sound body which also represents their wish that people all over the world will live healthful and happy lives in both body and mind. In this report, the cellulose-based nanofibers were used in manufacturing running shoes. Most of the industries out there are main contributors to the global greenhouse gases (GHG) that leads climate change. The source of GHG usually comes from the manufacturing and distribution processes, the energy used to power the stores and building, and also from the materials used to make the products. For example, polyurethane and polyester are derived from fossil fuels where they are widely used in many products and when they are incinerated, they will release GHG to the atmosphere. As a solution to this problem, a Japanese sportwear company called ASICS has determined to reduce the emission of GHG by setting a science-based targets in producing sporting goods. According to the President and COO of ASICS Corporation, Yasuhito Hirota, “Sustainability and our ambitious targets to help mitigate the impact of climate change are at the core of our business strategy”. Hence, this report will discover on how ASICS develop bio-based products including their strategy in their business.