Mass-production and mass-consumption has a significant influence on environmental affairs in modern Japan. Japan used to be an eco-friendly country in the past. Due to the Japanese industrial revolution, which began hundred years after the industrial revolution in the UK (in the second half of the 18th century), people’s main energy was only solar energy.

Japan was the last to start using alternative energy sources; such as fossil fuels from the other developed nations.

The Edo period (1603-1863), as a time of national isolation in Japan and it was during this period that new cultures were developed. Although people’s standard of living was high enough at the time and there was an affluent society, no energy resources, but solar energy was required.

Commodities were well-made with high quality using only solar energy, fire and human power: for example, buildings, textiles, metal goods, ceramics, books and printed mattes.

Japanese people appreciated the sun and avoided as much waste as possible. Hence, there were various repair jobs in specialist fields during the Edo period for instance; porcelain, casting metal objects such as pans or pots, Japanese sandals with leather soles, Japanese wooden clogs, paper lanterns and traditional Japanese tobacco pipes. There were also various types of recycling traders: collecting and recycling wastepaper, ash traders (ash was useful at the time for cleaning materials, dye and ointments etc.), and many types of secondhand stores such as umbrellas, candles, lost hair and broom. As a result, when the River Thames suffered factory pollution, many fish and swimming children were seen in the River Sumida, one of the first-class rivers in Japan.

As it is mentioned above Japan had faced environmental difficulties.The stationery industry is not the exception. Many stationery products are made to reduce waste. For instance, the stapler without staples or the mechanical pencils, which allow use of all the lead.