EcoRing Co., Ltd. Representative Director Kazunari Kuwata

Buy everything for your customers and use your wisdom to sell it all

CEO of EcoRing Co., Ltd.　Kazunari Kuwata(Kuwata Issei)

■ Profile
After serving in the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, he became interested in the reuse business while living in extreme poverty, and in 2001 he founded EcoRing Co., Ltd., the first store in Japan specializing in buying and selling brand-name goods. In 2021, the entire HD Group became the first in the industry to obtain the international certification "B Corporation," and is striving to become a company that is both materially and spiritually rich, with the goal of being a "missionary community that finds value."

<Recruitment information site>https://recruit.eco-ring.com/

I studied agriculture and veterinary medicine at university, but ended up joining the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, a completely different field. I then left the ministry when the postal service was privatized and started an internet content company. At first, things went well, but after a while, I was suddenly pushed into the abyss by technology from another company. With no other option, I started selling my everyday items on Yahoo! Auctions, which led me to think about starting a store that would buy high-quality brand items that pawn shops wouldn't buy, which was the first step in EcoRing, and has continued to this day.

■ When things really go wrong, that's when wisdom will emerge.
EcoRing believes that its appeal lies in being a convenient store for customers by purchasing products that other companies will not buy. We buy everything to gain the support of our customers, and we believe that not selling everything we buy is due to a lack of wisdom. "We buy because it's profitable, and don't buy because it's not profitable" is not what professionals do; we intend to keep buying until we go out of business.
There were some difficult times during the COVID-19 pandemic, but I still bought the items, and I thought it would be my greatest wish if they went out of business. In reality, it's during difficult times like these that we become more resourceful, and I have a strong belief that things will work out. I think personality plays a big role in this. Of course, we try all sorts of different things to make people buy, such as using repair techniques, changing the number of items we sell, or changing the way the products are presented. But ultimately, I believe it's all about communication between people, so I also make sure to approach sellers face-to-face.
We want to be a company that contributes to solving social problems such as waste by finding value in all of our products.

■Advice for students
I often hear that many students today don't know what they want to do, and the reason for this is clear. That's because they only have so much knowledge, so they can only come up with that answer. When I was a student, I simply did a variety of part-time jobs, which helped me learn about work and build up the information I need to make decisions. There's no point in thinking about it if you don't have any experience. I think it's best to try a variety of things, get a feel for them, and then think about it.

Student Newspaper, October 1, 2023 Issue, Toyo University, 10th Year, Honoka Hama