On Friday, September 19th, GLOBAL PRODUCE held a cleanup activity around our office neighborhood (Shibuya–Omotesando area). While we have supported World Cleanup Day as a partner since 2023, this year we took action company-wide under the concept of “Changing the world starts at our feet.” More than 20 million volunteers across 200 countries joined the global initiative.

What is World Cleanup Day?

World Cleanup Day is “a day to clean up the world together.” Around September 20th, recognized as a United Nations International Day, cleanup activities are conducted simultaneously across the globe. GP has been supporting this initiative since 2023, continuously participating with the spirit of “Think Global, Act Locally.”

Practicing “Office Neighborhood Cleanup”

For this year’s cleanup, GP members were divided into teams, each assigned to different areas to collect litter.

But cleanup does not end with simply picking up garbage. How to properly sort and dispose of the waste is just as important. This time, we practiced “picking up while sorting” from the very beginning. For disposal, we received generous cooperation from Aoyama Oval Building, where our office is located. (Thank you, Aoyama Oval Building!)

Although the actual cleanup lasted only about 30 minutes, the amount of trash collected was striking—even along fashionable streets and main roads in Omotesando.

Why Focus on “Our Immediate Surroundings”?

Almost all employees joined the cleanup, except for a few who were unavailable. As an event production company that creates experiences to move people’s hearts, we believe that valuing the places closest to us—our daily environment—sends a powerful message to society.

Thirty minutes of cleanup is short. But a company’s commitment to continue such small actions grows into something much bigger than expected.

By transforming cleanup from “just picking up trash” into “an experience to feel sustainability firsthand,” we aimed to create unity, awareness, and small but meaningful success experiences that lead to future action.

“Bring Happiness Project” and Four Pillars

GLOBAL PRODUCE launched the Bring Happiness Project to explore how the event industry can contribute to sustainable development. At its core are four pillars:

• Thinking together as GP / Starting with what’s around us
• Reducing construction waste
• Shifting energy to clean sources
• Promoting SDGs Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

These four pillars act as a compass for “learning through practice.” After each event, we conduct a sustainability review to ensure continuous improvement.

Concrete Practices in Office and Event Operations

In the office, GP promotes the use of clean energy, thorough waste separation, and initiatives to encourage reuse—practices that become ingrained as daily habits.

On the event side, we support renewable energy certificates, propose sustainable venues and décor (such as tension fabrics and paper-based boards), and coordinate sustainable catering. Our goal is to embed sustainability into every corner of our events.

Closing Thoughts

With “small starts” as our motto, we keep moving forward step by step. Small actions change the workplace atmosphere, the streets, and eventually society.

World Cleanup Day is a gateway to co-creation—a hub where companies, communities, and citizens connect. From Shibuya–Omotesando, we will continue to build on these experiences, one step at a time.