In recent years, used plastics flowing into the natural environment and ultimately reaching the ocean to become marine plastic waste have become a global social issue.

Since 1985, the physical fitness and activity levels of children in Japan have been gradually declining. Spaces where they can enjoy themselves through free, active play have decreased, and the number of children who struggle with - and even hate - exercise and sports has increased. While children’s play has shifted from outdoor, active spaces to using digital toys indoors, it has become clear how beneficial exercise and sports are for physical and mental development.

Many people taking on the challenge of a full marathon have experienced the onset of fatigue and leaden legs around the 30km distance, known as “hitting the wall.” The major cause is believed to be depletion of the body's carbohydrate energy reserves by running too fast. In other words, the key to completing a marathon or reducing times is running as fast as possible without burning carbohydrates.

With the aim of accelerating product development while providing customers with a new fitting experience, in 2023, Mizuno established the Mizuno Research and Performance Center (hereafter, “MRPC”), a golf development center based in Yomiuri Country Club, located in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. The center is equipped with a fitting facility, and a golf robot has been introduced.

In recent years, concern about global warming has only increased. Exercise in hot conditions leads to the body’s core temperature rising, leading to an increased risk of heat stroke and lower performance. It is believed that cooling the body in such conditions helps with physical recovery, resists decreases in performance and cognitive functions, and resists increases in the perspiration rate.

In recent years, average temperatures around the world have been increasing due to global warming. In the sporting arena, athletes have been more and more unable to perform to their very best due to heat-related issues such as body temperature elevation and dehydration. To avoid such issues, it is important to increase heat dissipation using the body’s natural temperature regulation mechanism - perspiration - to disperse heat as sweat dries.

Competitive swimmers never stop wanting to go faster, and at Mizuno, we have developed our flagship GX SONIC series of racing swimsuits to match the passion of those athletes. Seeking to further enhance its leading-edge series and provide athletes with a competitive advantage, we worked on development from both fabric and design perspectives. The result was the latest evolution: the GX SONIC 6.

MIZUNO BIOGEAR SONIC, tights that enhance running economy, are popular not only with elite athletes but also many beginner runners. Postulating that the pelvic support design feature in MIZUNO BIOGEAR SONIC that enhances running economy could also be beneficial in other disciplines, Mizuno arranged for athletes across a wide range of sports to test the tights.

In recent years, many shoes have emerged on the market that are promoted with a focus on how easy it is to put them on and take them off. There are also many people who wear their shoes like slip-ons, with the laces tied loosely so that they can be put on and taken off easily without untying any knots. At Mizuno, we have developed “MEasy,” designed with Mizuno’s proprietary “Open Fit Structure” that strikes a balance between the two seemingly conflicting functions of good fit and ease of putting on and taking off.

Mizuno has developed various sporting goods. In order to pursue unknown possibilities, Mizuno’s Research & Development Department is also endeavoring to create sporting goods using unconventional materials. This time, they tried making a baseball glove using washi^*1paper.

*1 Washi is a kind of traditional Japanese paper, processed by hand using fibers from the inner bark of the gampi tree,which is registered as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.