Crowdfunding Collaboration to Support Farmers – “My crowdfunding by AEON CARD”

Jizoku Inc. is pleased to announce its partnership with AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda City, Tokyo; Chairman and President: Shunsuke Shirakawa), which operates the crowdfunding platform My Crowdfunding by AEON CARD (hereinafter “My Crowdfunding”). Together, the two companies will promote support for farmers and the development of environmentally-conscious return gifts through the use of crowdfunding.

Background

Jizoku has been working in collaboration with farmers across Japan to advance carbon credit generation within the agricultural sector. In FY2024, Jizoku successfully generated approximately 700 tons of carbon credits (*1).

In addition, the company has taken early action to address greenwashing risks by validating satellite-based monitoring technologies and conducting biodiversity impact assessments.

While supporting these initiatives, Jizoku identified a common challenge among farmers: many seek to create value-added processed goods from their own agricultural products. However, high upfront costs and difficulty assessing market demand often prevent such ideas from being realized.

At the same time, My Crowdfunding by AEON CARD—under its guiding purpose, “Bringing finance closer. Supporting everyday life with peace of mind and joy.”—has been aiming to help share information about new products and local innovations with a wider audience. The platform has also been exploring ways to support farmers in becoming project creators.

To address these challenges, the two companies are launching a joint initiative that will both support farmer-led crowdfunding campaigns and promote the development of environmentally-friendly return gifts in collaboration with Jizoku.

(*1): Includes carbon credits generated under the predecessor organization, General Incorporated Association Co.

Overview of the Partnership

The partnership will focus on the following initiatives:

1. Promoting Crowdfunding Use Among Farmers

Jizoku will offer farmers within its nationwide network access to the My Crowdfunding platform, providing them with new fundraising opportunities.

This initiative will support farmers in securing the upfront capital required for developing processed goods and help them better understand market demand.

2. Development of Environmentally-Friendly Return Gifts

Crowdfunding return gifts will include processed products made from farmers’ own agricultural goods.

Each return gift will include carbon credits generated by Jizoku to offset CO₂ emissions from shipping. An offset certificate will also be attached, helping to raise awareness of decarbonization efforts among consumers.

Future Outlook

Through this partnership, Jizoku and AEON Financial Service aim to foster an environment that enables farmers to make greater use of crowdfunding, while supporting the development of new value-added agricultural products and encouraging sustainable consumption behaviors.

By distributing environmentally-conscious return gifts supported by carbon credits, the partnership also seeks to build a system where individuals can contribute indirectly to decarbonization efforts, thereby promoting the realization of a more sustainable society.

Company Information

Jizoku Inc.