Corporate Information

Sony Bank’s Synecoculture™ Efforts

With the goal of promoting biodiversity, Sony Bank is undertaking an initiative at the Color Leaf Garden in Hibiya Park, Tokyo, utilizing Synecoculture - a method of farming that does not require plowing, fertilizers, and pesticides. This initiative is being implemented in cooperation with SynecO, Inc. (hereafter, "SynecO"). We aim to raise awareness of Synecoculture, an environmentally friendly practice, and provide Sony Bank employees with an opportunity to reflect on the value of biodiversity and its contribution to a sustainable society by creating flower beds.

Sony Bank’s Approach

Sony Bank staff first learn about biodiversity and "augmented ecosystems(*)" by attending seminars and workshops led by SynecO, and then maintain flower beds under the guidance of Hibiya Park and SynecO. Aiming to contribute to a sustainable society, Sony Bank will continue to support activities that lead to increased biodiversity.

An augmented ecosystem is an ecosystem that promotes biodiversity beyond its natural state through the active contribution of human activities. It realizes the augmentation of various ecosystem functions and services.

About Synecoculture™

Synecoculture is a method of agriculture that involves growing a diverse mix of plants in dense, intercropped environments, fostering a lush ecosystem that takes advantage of the material cycles and other self-organizing processes that occur naturally in ecosystems without the use of plowing, fertilizers, and pesticides. This practice was scientifically formalized and proposed by Masatoshi Funabashi, a researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. (Sony CSL).
Today, wildlife on Earth is dying out at an unprecedented rate, primarily due to the destruction of ecosystems caused by agriculture at various scales. The mass consumption of material resources in agriculture disrupts the Earth's material cycles, contributes to climate change, and poses a serious threat to ecosystems.

Synecoculture, through its zero-tillage approach, promotes soil carbon accumulation and fosters the development of lush ecosystems, thereby contributing to increased biodiversity. In a 2015 proof-of-concept project in Burkina Faso, Africa, Synecoculture reversed human-induced desertification in one year and successfully produced highly profitable, useful crops. This approach also holds potential for applications in urban areas, such as urban greening, environmental education, and regional revitalization.