ANA/Airlines' Initiatives for the SDGs｜The ANA Aoshima Factory-Where Natural Materials Are Transformed into Handmade Products|ANA

September 1, 2026

The ANA Aoshima Factory is surrounded by the rich nature of Miyazaki Prefecture.
Here, we will share the story of the factory team members' commitment to handwork and craftsmanship that brings out each member's individuality.

What Is the ANA Aoshima Factory?

The ANA Aoshima Factory, located in Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, is a production site operated by ANA Wing Fellows Vie Oji Co., Ltd., a special subsidiary of the ANA Group.
The factory consists of two workshops-papermaking and woodworking-and about 88% of its 25 employees have some form of disability, but each play active roles while making the most of their individual strengths.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of its opening in 2016 this year, the ANA Aoshima Factory makes and sells a variety of products with a sense of warmth under the motto, "Paper and Wood Products Delivered by the ANA Group-From Aoshima to the World."
Through these initiatives, the factory has earned strong recognition, with some of its products becoming the first in the prefecture to be certified in the "daily life goods" category of the Miyazaki Recycled Product Certification System*1.
The factory is a symbolic place that embodies the ANA Group's SDGs and DEI initiatives.

* 1

Under the Miyazaki Recycled Product Certification System, Miyazaki Prefecture certifies recycled items that make effective use of waste as a resource, as well as products designed to use resources efficiently, provided that they meet the strict quality and safety standards established by the prefecture.

Exquisite Handmade Paper Recycled from Shochu Cartons

One of the core operations at the factory is papermaking using a traditional technique.
Shochu cartons that that did not meet the strict specifications during their manufacture at shochu distilleries and other facilities are used as raw materials.
After the shochu cartons, which are made up of three layers, are cut into sheets, the aluminum and film layers are carefully peeled off sheet by sheet by hand using a special tool, leaving only the white pulp layer.
By breaking down the pulp recovered in this way into small pieces and blending it into a paste using a mixer, the papermaking process is ready to begin.

Shochu cartons as raw materials

Separating the pulp layer

Pulp broken down into small pieces

Pulp after blending

After pouring the pulp paste into a papermaking tank (a rectangular tank that holds papermaking materials diluted in water), the paste is further dissolved in water and stirred quickly to prevent lumps from forming. It is then scooped up with a papermaking screen and shaken evenly back and forth and from side to side while being kept level until the water drains away.
Then, after all moisture is squeezed out using nonwoven fabric and a vacuum roller, the sheet is kept in a drying chamber and dried for a whole day, with humidity strictly controlled at 50 to 60%. This completes the papermaking process.

Part of the papermaking process

This series of tasks, carried out by four people, calls for advanced skills to make uniformly thick paper and squeeze out water completely using a heavy roller; it usually takes at least a month to acquire such skills.

The resulting handmade paper has a warm, textured feel that comes from hand craftsmanship, with a rough and uneven surface like washi paper.

Finished paper

As each sheet of paper has a unique character of its own, the finished sheets are all carefully weighed and classified.
Lightweight paper is used for small gift envelopes and shrine and temple stamp books, while heavier, thicker paper with greater durability is made into business cards.

Making gift envelopes

Embossing Braille on business cards

Although Braille is embossed on these gift envelopes and business cards, the soft, delicate texture of handcrafted paper makes it extremely difficult to emboss Braille that does not tear and remains easy to read.
After repeated trial and error, the factory finally arrived at its current unique method of embossing Braille on each piece of paper twice, taking care not to wrinkle it.

Some products made of handcrafted paper

Through careful craftsmanship, materials that were destined to become waste are transformed into high-quality pieces with warmth and a distinctive character that mass-produced paper products made from ordinary materials cannot match.
These products are available at the following locations:
Miyazaki Prefecture: Udo Jingu Shrine, the AOSHIMAYA shop at the entrance to the approach to Aoshima Shrine, Miyazaki Products Shop KONNE, ANA Holiday Inn Resort Miyazaki, and ANA FESTA at Miyazaki Airport
Tokyo: Shinjuku Miyazakikan KONNE

Woodwork Products That Weave Together Local Cedar and Tradition

At the factory's other production site, the woodworking workshop, key chains and smartphone stands with the ANA logo engraved on them, trophies, and other products are made using Obisugi, Miyazaki Prefecture's prefectural tree.
What makes these products special is that they are all handcrafted.
By polishing and finishing each product carefully by hand, the craftspeople endeavor to make products that let people feel the warmth of cedar.
The more care these products receive, the more luster they develop, and as they are repeatedly polished with a cloth, they take on a distinctive sheen-this is the unique appeal of natural wood. With use over time, they gradually gain depth and become products to which users develop a personal attachment.
Furthermore, some staff members' passion for craftsmanship went beyond the products themselves, and they proposed the idea of reusing even wood chips that are unavoidably generated in the process of carving wood.
They collect these wood chips and distill them to produce aromatic water, then mix it with bergamot and mint to transform it into an original room fragrance.
The mindset of "not wasting materials" reflects the ANA Aoshima Factory's commitment to making careful use of resources.

Workshop

Some woodwork products made at the workshop

In addition, the factory is producing the Nanosaru key chain, a traditional Miyazaki good-luck charm whose makers were struggling with a lack of successors.
These charms are made of cycad seeds, symbolic of tropical Miyazaki.
Although the cycad seeds presented the problem of being hard and prone to cracking, this was resolved through the on-site staff's idea of heating the seeds in a microwave to make them softer and easier to work with. Currently, the staff members are working together to achieve the production target of 70 items a day and 1,000 a month.

Carving a cycad seed

Nanosaru key chain

Creating a Cheerful, Bright, and Enjoyable Workplace Atmosphere

We interviewed Mr. Imamura, head of the ANA Aoshima Factory, about the key to creating a workplace that draws out each member's individuality.

Mr. Imamura

Mr. Imamura: I encourage the factory staff every day to create a vibrant, bright, and enjoyable workplace.
To create such a positive atmosphere, we make a point of staying focused when it is time to work and enjoying ourselves fully when it is time to have fun. This sense of balance matters.
I also consciously maintain an open, communicative atmosphere in which we can discuss anything thoroughly and speak up with questions and ideas at any time. This is crucial for developing products through input from all members.
Furthermore, we have set up five working groups in areas such as safety, IT security, and public relations to create a better workplace and foster in each member a feeling of autonomy and a sense of responsibility.
Rather than becoming overly protective of them merely because they have disabilities, I believe in their abilities and entrust them with work.
My aim is to fully support them while respecting their aspiration to take on challenges.

The ANA Group will continue to value locally rooted craftsmanship and each person's spirit of challenge, and help build a society that passes warmth on to people, communities, and the future, beyond the scope of air transport.