Japanese tomato producer Nijimachi attains B Corp status

Japanese agricultural enterprise Nijimachi Ltd. achieved international B Corp certification on 8 September for its regional resource-circulating tomato farming model. The producer operates a closed-loop system that captures waste heat and carbon dioxide from an adjacent biogas power facility, eliminating fossil fuel reliance for winter greenhouse heating.

Nijimachi’s agricultural model combines industrial symbiosis with strict resource efficiency. It channels thermal energy and carbon dioxide exhaust from the neighbouring biogas plant into its greenhouses, the facility accelerates crop photosynthesis while maintaining optimal growing temperatures during cold months without burning oil or gas.

In addition, the operations use a drip irrigation system achieving 95 to 100 percent water utilisation efficiency, alongside infrastructure to capture and reuse agricultural runoff and rainwater. These closed-loop practices yielded high scores under the Environment evaluation pillar of the B Corp framework.

The assessment also commended Nijimachi’s social and workplace governance under the Workers and Community impact categories. The enterprise conducts regular farm safety inspections and employee health monitoring, whilst collaborating with local employment support centres to foster inclusive agricultural-welfare partnerships.

Sustainability platform Zevero supported the certification process by measuring and verifying Nijimachi’s Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions, establishing the empirical data required for evaluation. It also structured Nijimachi’s carbon accounting data through its software platform, organising objective evidence across Nijimachi’s supply chain to satisfy B Lab’s 80-point verification threshold.