Japan Partnership for
Circular Economy

Initiatives on the Circular Economy
by Japanese Companies

Noteworthy Cases
Vol. 22022 Edition

Introduction
The Japan Partnership for Circular Economy (J4CE) was founded on 2 March 2021 by theJapanese Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI), and Japan Business Federation (Keidanren). J4CE works to strengthen public-

private partnerships to further foster understanding of the circular economy among awide range of stakeholders, including companies in Japan, and promote initiatives in
response to the accelerating global trend toward a circular economy.

The launch of J4CE attracted wide attention and more than 150 companies andindustrial organisations joined J4CE as of September 2022. Approximately 160 cases andinitiatives have been submitted by participating companies and organisations, and allthese cases are introduced on the J4CE website. In September 2021, we selected 28
especially noteworthy cases and initiatives, and published a brochure entitled“Noteworthy Cases 2021 Edition”. We were also actively involved in international
outreach by distributing the brochure at a side event of COP26.

According to the UNEP International Resource Panel (IRP), the extraction andprocessing of natural resources into materials, fuels and food accounts for about half of
all global GHG emissions (excluding climate impacts related to land use). In light of this,when preparing the 2022 edition of the “Noteworthy Cases”, we selected cases related todecarbonisation and resource recycling in diverse industries, based on the recognition
that promoting the circular economy is also important for advancing decarbonisation.

We hope that the cases will make it widely known inside and outside Japan, thatJapanese companies are promoting the circular economy through their excellent
technologies, ideas and collaborations, and help promote the circular economy in Japanand around the world by further disseminating these efforts.

Table of contents
Noteworthy Area 1

SteelCase 01 Steel is a Sustainable Material
Case 02 Effective Use of Steel Slag

1

1

2

Case 03 Building a Recycling Scheme for Scrap Iron

2

Case 04 Recovering Various Types of Valuable Metals Using a Large-scale Smelting and Recycling Complex

3

Noteworthy Area 2

Non-Ferrous Metals

Case 05 Processing of Recycled Materials in the Copper Smelting and Refining Business
Case 06 Closed Loop Recycle of Lithium-ion Batteries (LiBs)

Noteworthy Area 3

CementCase 07 Waste Utilisation by Cement Industry
Case 08 Recycling of Lithium-ion Batteries

Case 09 Recovery and Recycle System for Precious Metals in Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Residue

Noteworthy Area 4

Paper and Woody Resources

Case 10 Production and Circulation of Woody Resources

Case 11 Initiatives for Resource Recycling Business – Promote Recycling of Used Paper Containers –Case 12 Development of New Biomass Material – Cellulose Nanofibre –Case 13 Towels Made from Japanese Cedar

Noteworthy Area 5

Bioplastics

3
4

4

5

5
6
6

7
7
8
8
8

9

Case 14 Renewable Plant-based Engineering Bioplastic “DURABIO”

9

Case 16 Renewable Plastics from 100% Bio-based Hydrocarbons

10

Case 15 Bio-based and Biodegradable Plastic “BioPBS™” for Agriculture Film
Case 17 Eco-friendly Package “Biomass ECO CUP”

Noteworthy Area 6

Collection and Recycling of Plastic

Case 18 Blockchain-based Digital Platform for Plastic Traceability
Case 19 Collection of used PET Bottles and Educative Activities

9

10

11

11

for Bottle-to-Bottle Closed Loop Recycling

12

Local Governments and Companies

12

Case 20 Collaborative Plastic Recycling Programme Promoted by Consumers,

Noteworthy Area 7

Recycling Technologies (Home Appliances, Plastic, Textile)

Case 21 Automatic Picking System Using AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Case 22 SORPLAS™, Sony’ s Proprietary Flame-retardant Recycled Plastic with up to

99% Recycled Material Utilisation Rate

Case 23 Chemical Recycling Technology of Polyester

Noteworthy Area 8

Formulating a Recycling Loop (Plastic, Food Waste)

13

13
14
14

15

Case 24 Closed-Loop Recycling of Label Release Film

15

Case 26 Yokohama Food Recycle Project

16

Case 25 Self-Contained Food Recycling Loop

16

Noteworthy
Area

1

Steel

Nippon Steel Corporation
Case

01

Steel is a Sustainable Material

Steel has many advantages; it is strong and easy to work

The balance of 2.3 billion tonnes of steel is mainly

with. As such, steel has been used in a wide range ofrecycled within the steelmaking and processing process,material when building the infrastructure for a society, asteelmaking process without being recycled.

applications and is well recognised as being an outstanding
material that supports people’s lives and overall economic

and only a small amount is discharged outside theWhen recycling metals, it is important to sort and remove

development.

other metal elements. In case of steel, most of the impurities

something that we cannot live without. Steel has been part

because it is harder to oxidise steel than other metalof society’s journey up to now and will continue to be so in
the future.

Steel can easily be separated from other materials andcan be endlessly recycled without deterioration in quality —quite a unique characteristic. Steel is a perfect material forrecycling as it can be reborn into all kinds of steel products
after the end of its product life.

Steel is made from pig iron, which is produced by

After steel is consumed as a material, it is accumulated insociety, collected as scrap, and recycled into steel again.

In 2021, global steel production came to 1.83 billion

tonnes (demand side), while 1.57 billion tonnes of pig ironand direct reduction iron as well as 0.49 billion tonnes ofscrap were used (supply side).

Circulation of Steelelements contained as impurities in scrap.

Impurities such as copper cannot be removed byoxidisation can also be removed by magnetic sorting.

It is these characteristics that make steel such asustainable material that can be reborn into new steel
products over and over again.
Gas phase
Slag phase

Metal phase

Fe

Nb
Cr

Ni

Ti

Si

Ca

B

Mn

V

Co
Sｎ

Mg

Zn

Zn

Pb

Ce

Al

Mg

removable
elements

Ca

Ce
Cu

Mo

B

Fe

Ca

Mg

Al

Ti

Pb

Nb

Co

Mg

Sn

Ni

Mo

Zn

Ce

Ti

Al

Mg Al Ti Si Mn Cr Zn Fe Cu
Pb

Co

B
Si
trapped
Mn
V
V
Cu
Cu Mn
Cr elements Cr
Si

Ti

↑

reducing iron ore, a natural resource, through coking coal.

in scrap can be removed as gas or slag by oxygen blowing

Easiness to beoxidized

Steel is a very familiar material to us, and has become

Fe

Sn

Nb

Ni

Mo

Ce
B

Fe

Pb
V

Sn

Si

Cr

Co

Nb

Cu

Ni

Al
Mn

Mo

Hiraki, Xin, Nakajima, Matsubae, Nakamura and Nagasaka (2012)

worldsteel, World Steel in Figures 2022
worldsteel, Steel Statistical Yearbook 2021
Bureau of International Recycling:
World Steel Recycling in Figures 2017–2021
United Nations, World Population Prospects 20191

Noteworthy Area 1

Case

Steel

Effective Use of Steel Slag02

In the steelmaking process, about 600 kg of by-products are

The improvement of the marine environment using steel

generated to produce 1 tonne of steel. Steel slag makes up

slag is expected to contribute to the conservation ofutilised. Steel slag is broadly categorized into blast furnace

effective climate change measure by fixing carbon dioxide

the majority of the by-products, and most of this is fullyslag, about 70% of which is used for blast furnace cement,

and steelmaking slag which is used for diverse applications
including roadbeds, materials for civil engineering, ground

improvement materials, marine environment improvement
materials, and fertilizers.

biodiversity, protect the ocean’s richness, and be an(blue carbon). Specifically, steel slag enables making

effective use of soft dredged soil to create a shallow area
where seaweed can grow, or to artificially produce iron

humus, which is generated in forest soils by mixing withhumus substance from waste wood and is to be supplied towater areas where seaweed growth is desired.

Installation of Calcia modified
material

Installation of Vivary™ units

Demonstration in
Mashike Town, Hokkaido(Photo by Shibuya Diving Industry)

Panasonic Corporation
Case

03

Building a Recycling Scheme for Scrap Iron

Jointly with Tokyo Steel Co., Ltd.,we started a recycling scheme forscrap iron in July 2013. We recover
scrap

iron

from

used

PETEC・PETECKTokyo Steel

Panasonic

home

appliances and Tokyo Steel makes it

into steel sheets. We then purchasethe sheets back as material for our

Add supplied scrap iron to
the electric steel plate
manufacturing process

products.

In FY2020, the amount of scrap

iron for Tokyo Steel reached over

2,600 tonnes, and the recycled steel

is being used in our products,

including washing machines andceiling materials for housing.

Supply high quality
scrap iron recoveredfrom home appliances
Completed electric
steel plates

Processing electric
steel plates(Photos: Lightweight ceilingmaterials by Panasonic Homes)

2Non-Ferrous Metals

Noteworthy
Area

2

DOWA HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

Recovering Various Types of Valuable Metals Using aLarge-scale Smelting and Recycling Complex

Case

04

Our company has a long history of mining and smelting,these technologies to recycle metals from scrap

mutual processing of residues with Akita Zinc andsmartphones generated on the market, steel dust,

and we have, established a complex function based onmaterials, including discarded electronic substrates andKosaka Smelting & Refining. We use advanced

incineration residues generated at our group’s waste

technologies to recover around 20 types of valuable

incineration plant, as well as discarded electronic

metals, including rare metals, which are contained in

substrates, from our household appliance recycling

minute quantities in ores, as well as gold, silver, copper

plants.

and zinc from raw materials. At present, we also apply

DOWA Smelting and Recycling Complex

Materials for Recycling

Industrial/municipal waste
Mobile phones and electronic substrates

Steel dust

Akita Zinc Recycling

Copperconcentrates

Secondaryraw materials Cu Pb

Pb Au Ag Cu

Kosaka Smelting
and Refining

Akita Zinc
Intermediate
residue

Ga In Ge

Akita Rare Metals

Products

3

Raw materials
containing
valuable metals/
incineration
residue

Zinc concentrate
residue

Secondaryrawmaterials Zn

Smeltedcopper residue

Used home electrical andelectronic appliances

Residues from plants containing
valuable metals

Spent catalysts

Zinc
concentrates

DOWA
Metals & Mining

Used plastics

Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR)

Secondary raw
Materials
Pt Pd Rh

Contaminated soil

DOWA
Eco-System

Eco-Recycle（Disassembling usedhome electrical andelectric appliances）

Eco-System Kosaka

Auto Recycle Akita

Eco-System Hanaoka(Disassemblingused automobiles)

Eco-System Recycling（Recycling process for
precious metals )Zn CdUsed cars(ASR, SD incineration)（Contaminatedsoil remediation）

Eco-System Akita（Waste incineration andintermediate treatment ）Green Fill Kosaka（Controlled landfill）

NIPPON PGM

Eco-System Hanaoka（Controlled landfill）

Gold (Au)・Silver (Ag)・Copper (Cu)・Zinc (Zn)・Lead (Pb)・Cadmium (Cd)・Bismuth (Bi)・Selenium (Se)・Tellurium (Te)・Platinum (Pt)・Palladium (Pd)・Rhodium (Rh)・Gallium (Ga)・Germanium (Ge)・Indium (In)・Sulfuric acid・Gypsum

Noteworthy Area 2

Non-Ferrous Metals

JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation
Case

05

Processing of Recycled Materials in the Copper Smelting
and Refining BusinessOur company is a pioneer in nonferrous metal

Green Hybrid Smelting at Saganoseki smelting plant

recycling business in Japan, and since the 1980s, wehave been processing copper ore and recycled raw

CO�-free melting and separation
utilising heat of oxidationmaterials (waste electronic devices and materials

CopperRecycled raw
concentrates
materials

recovered from their manufacturing processes that
contain valuable metals) at our copper smelting

E-wastefacilities. This process recovers and refines copper,

Sludgeprecious metals, and rare metals, which are thensupplied to the market as ingots, semiconductor

Press
scrap

materials, and other advanced materials.

Copper smelting is a process that does not needmuch fossil fuel to melt copper ore as it uses the heat

Discarded
cell phone

Pursuing the most
optimised balance ofmine development andrecycling for realizing
sustainable society

from the oxidation reaction of the copper ore itself toseparate the contained metals. Recent technologicaldevelopments have contributed to further improving
the efficiency of the heat reaction, so that thereaction heat can be effectively utilised, thereby

Eﬃcient recycling
process by utilisingheat of oxidation fromcopper concentrates

increasing the recycling ratio of raw materials fromvarious kinds of waste products. This will enable asignificant reduction in energy consumption and CO2

emissions from the perspective of product life cycle.

Copper ingot(��.��%)Sulfuric acid &precious metals(gold, silver)

ENVIPRO HOLDINGS Inc.
Case

06

Closed Loop Recycle of Lithium-ion Batteries (LiBs)

In January 2018, we established VOLTA Corporation, ancells generated from battery manufacturers. The mainsuch as lithium-ion batteries and nickel-metal hydride

concentrated cobalt and nickel, copper, aluminum, andoperating company for recycling rechargeable batteries

batteries. In anticipation of the future disposal of large
quantities of automotive batteries, the company iscurrently collecting consumer batteries and defective

recovered resources are black mass (BM), which iscarbon. We are working to increase capacity andupgrade of resource recovery.

Closed Loop Recycling Model of Lithium-ion Batteries
BM Factory Domestic(Fujinomiya)Partnercompanies

SI・FI Partner

Investing

BM Factory in Japanand overseas

Single/Joint venture BM Factory overseas

Technology licensing/investing/funding����年 ����BM Supply
BM Supply
BM Supply

Investing/Instruction of raw material speciﬁcation

Precursor
manufacturer

Products

Investing/funding

Hydrometallurgy
factory

Supply of factory scrap and used LiB

Cathode material
manufacturers
Battery
manufacturer

Assembler(car manufacturer etc.)

����

4

Cement

Noteworthy
Area

3

TAIHEIYO CEMENT CORPORATION
Case

Waste Utilisation by Cement Industry07

The cement industry plays a major role in building a“recycling-oriented society” by supplying basic materials

for concrete, which is essential for social and disasterprevention infrastructure, and by effectively utilising waste
and by-products to produce cement, thereby reducing theamount for final disposal. The cement industry usesof disaster waste after the Great East Japan Earthquake,
contributing to disaster waste disposal in the disaster area.

The transition of wastes and by-products used in
cement production(Kt)approximately 26 million tonnes of waste and by-products

100,000

plastics, more than half of which are difficult to recycle by

60,000annually, or about 468 kg per tonne of cement. Waste
material and chemical methods, can be utilised as thermalenergy in the cement industry, contributing to the reductionof energy-derived CO2 emissions.

Our company’s cement plants disposed of a large amount

Wastes and by-products used (Kt)

80,000Cement production (Kt)

Specific amount of wastes and by-products usedin cement production (kg/t-cement)

400
300

40,000200

20,000100

01990 2000 2010 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Fiscal year0

● Resource Circulation in Industry● Resource Circulation in Local Societies

as a substitute for clay, one of the raw materials for(1) the “Incineration Residue Recycling System,” which

Coal ash generated from coal-fired power plants is used
cement. We supply limestone powder as a remover forsulfur oxides generated by coal combustion, and the by-product gypsum produced in the process is also
effectively used as a raw material for cement.

We supply limestone and quicklime used in the refining

process to remove impurities from iron ore at steel mills,

and use the slag and other by-products generated afterrefining as raw materials and mixing materials.

We are promoting three systems for resource circulation:
recycles municipal solid waste incineration ash (bottom

ash and fly ash) as a raw material for ordinary cement; (2)the “AK System,” which recycles household and commercial
waste through a biodegradation reaction (fermentation)using a refuse recycling kiln, and recycles it as raw material

and energy at existing cement plants; and (3) the “Ecocement” production system, which uses more than 500 kg

of municipal solid waste incineration ash per tonne of
cement, to promote resource recycling in local societies.
Portland Cement Plants

Thermal Power
Plant
Coal ashGypsumAsh Center

5(kg/
t-cement)
500

Limestone Limestone
powderpowderSteel Mill

Slag, iron slag,
blast furnace dust,
etc.

Cement Plant

Municipal
waste

Incineration
plant

Incineration
residues frommunicipal waste

AK System
Municipal waste
is recycled at
cement plants asfuel and raw
material for
ordinary Portland
cement.

Incineration Residue
Recycling System
Municipal waste
incineration ash isrecycled at cement
plants as a raw
material for ordinary
Portland cement.

Ecocement Plant
Ecocement System

Incineration residues from municipal waste
are recycled as raw materials for Ecocement

Ready-mixed
concrete plants

Concrete products
manufacturing plants

Ordinary
PortlandcementEcocement

Noteworthy Area 3

Case

08

CementRecycling of Lithium-ion Batteries

We are working with Matsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd. to recycle
large lithium-ion batteries for automotive and stationary
applications.

roasting the flammable electrolyte inside the battery
without oxidising the metal that makes up the battery.

After that, various metals and electrode materials are

After disassembling the parts of the battery pack that canseparated by crushing and sorting, and the residue thatis difficult to disassemble or crush as it is, is detoxified by

the cement manufacturing process through heat recovery.

be easily disassembled in advance, the module itself, which

LiB pack

FY����
Received the Award
for Resources Recirculation
Technologies and Systems

Items other thanlarge LiBs that can berecycled by roasting

The LiB recycling system, jointly
developed by Taiheiyo Cement andMatsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd., realises
energy saving and advanced recycling
by installing a roasting facility inside
the cement plant. The system that
capitalizes on the characteristics ofthe cement industry was introduced
at Tsuruga Cement Co., Ltd.

Flow of LiB Recycling

cannot be recovered as a resource is effectively utilised inRare Metal Recycling Award

Metal-containing resins,
small products that
contain LiB, metal scraps
with oil adhesion, etc.

Roasting temperature/
several hundred degrees Celsius
Roasting treatment

Dismantling/Disassembly

Demonstration project for cobalt
recovery from lithium-ion
batteries utilising cement process
Taiheiyo Cement Corporation/
Matsuda Sangyo Co., Ltd.

Crushing and sorting

Collection of critical metals

De

di

ca

te d

Aluminumi

Detoxiﬁcationin s

Risk of electric shock
and ignition

Case

09

Base
metals Plastic

Cementplant

talled in a

ce m

e

nt

fac

pla

nt

r e c y c li n glityPulverisation/sorting
Roastedmatter

Iron

Waste gas treatment/waste heat utilisation

CopperFine material powder(containing critical metals)

Base metals（such as Fe, Cu and Al）

Transformation of crushed and sorted residue into raw materials for cement

Critical metals（such as Ni and Co）

Recovery and Recycle System for Precious Metals
in Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Residue

The Eco-cement system is a cement production process

the incineration residue are heated to over 1,350°C in the

can utilise more than 50% of cement raw materials, such as

such as copper, zinc, lead, etc., as well as precious metals

that, unlike the existing cement plant acceptance process,municipal solid waste incineration residues. This system ischaracterised by efficient recovery of metals contained invery small amounts in the incineration residue. Metals fromrotary kiln, and after being vaporised into gas, heavy metals
such as gold and silver, can be recovered in the wet process
heavy metal recovery system.

Metals (Fe, Al)

Incineration Ash,other wastes

Receiving

Pretreatment

drying, crushing,
grinding

BurningFinalgrinding

Exhaust gas
treatment

Heavy metal
extraction system

Exhaust gas

Drainage

Eco cement

Enriched heavy metal compound(Cu, Zn, Pb, Au, Ag)

6

Noteworthy
Area

4Paper and Woody Resources

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
Case

10

Production and Circulation of Woody Resources

Paper and paperboard products have long been an excellent

field of resource recycling, with the recovery and utilisationof waste paper being promoted. In recent years, paper andbiomass materials have also been attracting attention,requiring more up-to-date approaches in solving social andenvironmental issues such as climate change and marine
plastic litter.

Breakdown of main raw materials＊1

Wood resources
such as woodchips and pulp

��.� ％

Wastepaper pulp*�

FY２０２１��.�％

1 Consolidated Group
companies in Japan*2 Includes purchased
wastepaper pulp＊

The Nippon Paper Group is working to expand the threewoody resources we generate not only for paper but also for“paper product recycling” by taking advantage of thenanofibres. We are also working to reduce greenhouse gas

circulations of “forest resources”, “woody resources”, andcharacteristics of woody resources, which are thefoundation of our business operations, in order tosimultaneously achieve corporate growth and contribute to

the development of new biomass materials such as cellulose
emissions by actively utilising black liquor, a byproduct ofpulp production, and biomass fuels during manufacturing.

The use of waste paper and paperboard has beena circular society. By balancing these three circulation, we

progressing, and our group also uses approximately 55% ofrecycling-oriented society and solving social environmental

However, paper containers, the use of which is expanding inare making multifaceted contributions toward building a
issues, such as climate change.

Biodiversity-conscious sustainable afforestation activities

are the starting point of a cycle that absorbs CO2 and fixes
carbon as well as continuously generating forest resources.

We manage about 160,000 hectares of our own forests inJapan and overseas, improving our afforestation techniquesand supplying highly productive “elite trees” to support theregeneration of the domestic forestry industry. We are
expanding the “circulation of woody resource” by using thewaste paper and pulp as raw materials for paper products.

order to substitute plastic, are rarely collected and utilised,

except for paper carton products. In order to expand the useof these recyclable materials, we are working to build a

recycling system with a target of using 12,000 tonnes ofunused waste paper per year by 2030. Biomass materials
play a role in storing carbon in products even while they arein use. By recycling various biomass materials and products,
including paper, we can store carbon even longer and help
mitigate climate change.

Business Development as a
General Biomass Company

Carbon-Neutral
Business Model

Pulp
Wood
New materials(CNF, MinerPa, etc.)

Functional
paper material

Circulationof sustainable
forest resources

New woodybiomass fuel

Waste

(SHIELDPLUS,
etc.)

Active productrecycling

Circulation of woody resources usedfor various purposes with technological capabilities

7

Noteworthy Area 4

Paper and Woody Resources

Initiatives for Resource Recycling Business– Promote Recycling of Used Paper Containers –

Case

11

From April 2021, with the support of Hamamatsu City, Hamamatsu Green Wave
Co., Ltd., Ecolife Hamamatsu, a non-profit organisation, and Nippon Paper

Industries Co., Ltd. started collecting paper ice cream cups, paper yogurt cups, andpaper cups used by households in the city. Collection boxes were set up at the Eco-

Hama environmental awareness facility at the West Hamamatsu City Cleaning
Plant to deposit washed and dried paper cups. The collected items are recycled as

raw materials for papermaking at our Soka Mill, as a demonstration of a newrecycling business.

Conventionally, most paper used as food containers is incinerated as municipal

waste due to stain and odor problems. With increased recycling awareness among

consumers and thanks to our recycling technology, paper can be reused as aresource by taking advantage of its inherent recyclability, reducing the amount of
incinerated waste and contributing to carbon fixation as a wood resource.

Case

Development of New Biomass Material – Cellulose Nanofibre –12

Cellulose nanofibre (hereafter CNF) is a cutting-edge biomass material
produced by finely unraveling the fibres that make up wood to the nano-level. Because CNF is derived from plant fibres, it has a low environmental
impact in terms of production and disposal. Taking advantage of its
properties such as thickening, water retention,formability, anddispersibility, it is being mass-produced and increasingly adopted as afunctional additive in the food and cosmetics fields.

As for its use in industry, collaborative research with Tohoku University

in 2021 discovered that CNF has electricity storage properties, leading to
the world’s first successful verification of LED lighting outside of academic
testing. A prototype is planned to be displayed at the Osaka Expo in 2025.

NEBA Forestry Union, Nagano Prefecture
Case

13

Towels Made from Japanese Cedar

If we could get people to use wood more.... With this in mind, we madecloth and towels from wood. The raw material was 50-year-old Neba
cedar. The cedar is turned into chips, converted into cellulose, made into

Japanese paper, cut into thin strips, and made into yarn, which is thenturned into cloth. No modern technology is used in this process, butrather the ancient Japanese techniques of “washi” paper and yarn
twisting are utilised in all processes. No synthetic fibres are used at all,and even the product tags are made from wooden cloth. When buried in

the ground, the towels are decomposed by microorganisms in about one
month, depending on the environment.

8

Bioplastics

Noteworthy
Area

5

Bioplastics include biomass plastics made from renewable organic resources such as plants, andbiodegradable plastics, which eventually decompose into carbon dioxide and water under certain
conditions through the action of microorganisms that are abundant in nature.

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

Renewable Plant-based Engineering Bioplastic“DURABIO”

Case
事例

14
14

“DURABIO” is a transparent bio-basedengineering plastic derived mainly from plant-

StarchGlucosebased isosorbide. It has excellent performancein terms of impact resistance, heat resistance,
and weather resistance. It is used as a

substitute for glass in applications that require

Glass substitution

transparency. It also has excellent colouring
achieved simply by blending with pigments. In

addition, its hard and scratch-resistant surface

eliminates the need for painting processes,
thus its use is expanding to automobile interior
andexterior

designparts,

smartphoneOH

OH H OH OH
CH�OH
HOH�C
OH
H OH H H

Optical properties,
Optical properties Low
birefringence,high strength and durability and long-term

capability, and smoothness and colour can beO

Weather
resistance

Surface hardness
Paint-free(VOC reduction)

housings, lighting covers, and decorative

O

o

o c
R
n
o m

Impactresistance
SafetyImpact resistancePC resinHeat resistance

Bio-based

Flame
retardance

Flameretardance

Low blacksmoke / Safety

Climate change prevention /Renewable resource /Biomass SDGs conscious / Low LCA value

containers for cosmetics.

oo+ Co-monomers
H OH

DURABIOTM

PMMA resin
High surface
hardness(Scratch
resistance)

O

H

Processability property
Sheet / film processability

High transparency

Weather resistance,
UV resistance(No colour change)

No colourchangeHO

DURABIOTM
=

HO
HO

OH

Isosorbide Monomer

SorbitolBio-based and Biodegradable Plastic “BioPBS™”
for Agriculture Film

Case

15

We are working to expand the use of agricultural films,of the National Agriculture and Food Researchmore crops and regions. This will be an application thatTechnology, Kanagawa Agricultural Technology Center,

which can eliminate the need for disposal after use, toOrganization, Tokyo University of Agriculture andcan maximise the benefits of BioPBS™, a biodegradable,
bio-based plastic.
Mitsubishi

ChemicalAgri-Dream

IbarakiCorporation

Material production

Route for comparison
General-purpose ﬁlm(polyethylene)

Center,anddemonstrating their effectiveness in agriculture.
Film production

Crop cultivation

After cultivation, end-of-life

Utilisation

Ensure degradation by enzymes

Demonstration cycle

Combinational use of
bio-degradable &bio-based ﬁlm and enzyme

Comprehensive

methods to control degradation and monitoring, whiledevelops new films at lower cost, with the cooperation
Feedstock

Agricultural

Yamanashi Agricultural Technology Center to develop

Production & development of bio-based ﬁlm＊CO�…Bio-based

Evaluation of environmental impact and economic performance

CO2

CO2

＊Photos are for reference only9

Noteworthy Area 5

Bioplastics

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Case

Renewable Plastics from 100% Bio-based Hydrocarbons

16

Biomass naphtha produced from vegetable oil waste

since basic chemicals such as phenol and polyolefins

plant) as feedstock to produce basic biomass feedstockfrom these basic biomass raw materials.

and oil residue is fed into an ethylene plant (cracker

such as ethylene, propylene, C4 fraction, and benzene.
This is the first of its kind in Japan. The quality of thebiomass derivatives (biomass chemicals and biomass
polymers) is equivalent to that of existing products,

such as polyethylene and polypropylene are producedThisobtained

Benzenecertification

Automobiles

Polyethylene, etc.

Appliances

Polypropylene, etc.

Packaging

Diapers, masks

Phenol, etc.

Detergent, cosmetics

Other fraction

Crackers

ISCC

for mass balance method.

Propylene

Petroleum naphtha

has(International Sustainability and Carbon Certification)

Ethylene

Bio-basedhydrocarbons

process

Renewablehydrogen

Beverage bottles

Ammonia, etc.

EnergyWide range of bio-based products can be produced with mass balance method

Raw materials

Chemicals/Plastics

Crackers

Bio-basedhydrocarbons

Petroleum naphtha

Introduction of
bio-based raw materials

MixtureProduct A

Product B

Existing manufacturing processes
and production chains●Biomass-applicable
B

B

B

B

B

●Petroleum-derived

Biomass volume assigned
to speciﬁc products

NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Case

17

Eco-friendly Package “Biomass ECO CUP”

We are promoting conversion to “Biomass ECO CUP” partially made of biomass plastic
as packaging for “Nissin CUP NOODLES”.

Noodle cups were made of polystyrene (PS) foam when the product was firstlaunched. In 2008, we switched to the “ECO CUP” made of laminated paper tosignificantly reduce the amount of plastic, and in December 2019, we began

switching to “Biomass ECO CUP,” which was replaced with bio-based plastic as partof its packaging. The switchover for all “Nissin CUP NOODLES” was completed infiscal 2021. By achieving a biomass level of 81%, the amount of petroleum-based

plastic used has been almost halved compared to the conventional “ECO CUP”. CO2
emissions are reduced by approximately 16% over the life cycle.

10Collection and Recycling of Plastic

Noteworthy
Area

6

Asahi Kasei Corporation
Case

Blockchain-based Digital Platform for Plastic Traceability

18

Asahi Kasei is developing a digital platform for plastic

business operators are interested in the recycling rate

platform to ensure traceability of recycled plastic using

become one of the criteria for consumers to purchase aresource circulation. Aiming to establish a digital

blockchain technology, a prototype was developed anda demonstration trial was conducted. To raise awarenessof recycling and encourage recycling behaviour, theprototype displays history information of products using
recycled plastic as well as recording recycling activity byconsumers (Fig. 1).

In the trial, it was clear that consumers as well as

and history information of a product, and that this could

product with confidence. The trial also confirmed thatrecording and visualisation of recyclable waste recovery

would improve consumer awareness and action on
recycling.

In 2022, we are planning to collaborate with the major

convenience store FamilyMart and launch a campaign tocollect PET bottles via in-store collection boxes (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1 Screenshots of the prototype app displaying background information of the recycling process (left),with information displayed visually on a map (middle) and consumer action on recycling (right).

General consumers

Recycling into
new productsCollection

FamilyMart store

Recycler
Collector

Recording a collection activity
Viewing collection records
Information on plastic
bottle recycling after collection

Recording departures,
arrivals andother information
in a blockchain

Application

Features

Block chain

Poroviding traceabillty
Inducing consumers tochange their behaviour

Fig. 2 Campaign to collect PET bottles in collaboration with a convenience store planned in 2022.

11

Noteworthy Area 6

Collection and Recycling of Plastic

Japan Soft Drink Association (JSDA)

Collection of used PET Bottles and Educative Activities
for Bottle-to-Bottle Closed Loop Recycling

Case

19

Japan is quite advanced when it comes to segregatedequipment and newly designed recycling boxes next tocollection of PET bottles from households and offices.

vending machines.

Various collection points are available at retailers andThese practices contribute to the circular economy,

vending machine sites as well. PET bottle collection rateand help to achieve carbon neutrality.

is 96.7%, the recycle rate is 88.5% (both in 2020, vs sales
volume), which is much higher than rates in the US or EU.

PET bottles Collection and Recycle Rates

used PET bottle collection is essential to promote bottle-

���

entire beverage industry in Japan works to collaborate��Japan is at the Leading edge

Further improvement of the quantity and quality of%

to-bottle closed loop recycling. To achieve that, the88.5 96.7

��with local governments in various areas and with��companies in different industries. JSDA is aiming to�collect higher quality used PET bottles free from foreign

18.0

26.6

US

In ����

39.6

Recycle ratematerials and leftover liquid by conducting research and

57.5

EU

In ����

Japan
In ����

Collection rate

[Source] Japan: The Council for PET Bottle Recycling
US：NAPCOR（National Association for PET Container
Resources）EU：Wood Mackenzie

public awareness campaigns using dedicated collection

Veolia Japan Group｜Unilever Japan｜Kao Corporation｜
The Procter & Gamble Company of Japan Limited｜Lion Corporation

Collaborative Plastic Recycling Programme Promoted
by Consumers, Local Governments and Companies

Case

20

“A Collaborative Plastic Recycling Programme” forprogramme has been selected as an “Innovative

Unilever Japan and Kao Corporation in cooperation with

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and is currently being

Technology and Business Model Promotion Project” bycollecting and recycling used bottles was launched byverified for efficiency gains and changes in consumer

Higashi-Yamato City, Tokyo, and the recycler, Veolia

behaviour through visualisation of the collection status.

Japan Group. Other participants in the programme are

In addition, we are verifying and researching closed loop

the Procter & Gamble Company of Japan Limited andrecycling technologies and aiming to establish

Lion Corporation.

guidelines on common containers for daily items that

Collection boxes were set up at 10 locations in Higashi-

can be used across all companies and industries.

Yamato City to collect used containers. The programme
will also be launched in Joso City and Komae City. The

Making New Bottles from Used Bottles Collaboration by consumers, local governments and companies��

Separated collection of used bottles of personal &home care products and keeping citizens informed

Higashiyamato City
Komae City

Joso City

Collaborative Plastic
Recycling Program�

Veriﬁcation testing and research on
closed loop recycling technologies

Selected as “���� Innovative
Technology and Business Model
Promotion Project”
by Tokyo MG

Selling products contained in� recycled bottles in stores

Sorting, washing, crushingand ensuring traceability*�Production and packaging
of recycled bottles

Current initiatives

Future initiatives* Outsourced to Veolia

12Noteworthy
Area

7

Recycling Technologies(Home Appliances, Plastic, Textile)

Association for Electric Home Appliances
Case

21

Automatic Picking System Using AI(Artificial Intelligence)

Home appliance recycling plants have so far carried out manual sorting of dismantled parts, but AI image recognition
automatically distinguishes dismantled parts by type and picks them up automatically.

On the flat-panel TV dismantling line, with the introduction of AI,
about 3,000 correct images of the four most-collected parts wereregistered in advance, making it possible to distinguish them witha recognition rate of about 95%. From there, the articulated robot
can pick up with a probability of about 98%.

Installation of AI picking on aflat-screen TV dismantling line
（Panasonic Eco Technology Center Co., Ltd.）

Automatic picking system flow

Picking robot

Parts on conveyor

AdjusterParts flow
Collection container

Parts to be picked
High quality circuit board

Low grade circuit board

Installation of AI picking on an
air conditioner outdoor unit dismantling line
（Chubu Eco Technology Corporation）

Beforeimprovement

Collected materials sorted by type
Picking worker

Belt conveyor
MotorsAfter
improvement【改善後】Belt conveyor

Camera unit
Picking robot

13

Aluminum parts

On the dismantling line for external air conditioners, parts ofdifferent sizes and shapes, such as compressors, circuit boards,
motors and transformers, are picked up with a probability of
approximately 98%, thereby reducing the burden on workers,
especially for lifting heavy parts.

Hand-dismantling line

Hand-dismantling line

lron parts

Workﬂow：Hand-dismantled parts aretransported on a belt conveyor, sorted
by workers, picked up and collected

Compressor

Circuit board

Picking robot
Collected materials sorted
by type (Compressor etc.)

Workﬂow：Sorting and collection
by automatic picking robot
instead of by workers

Noteworthy Area 7

Recycling Technologies (Home Appliances, Plastic, Textile)

Sony Group Corporation
Case

22

SORPLAS™, Sony’s Proprietary Flame-retardant Recycled
Plastic with up to 99% Recycled Material Utilisation Rate

SORPLAS™ (Sustainable Oriented Recycled Plastic) is an original high-quality flameretardant recycled polycarbonate resin. Despite being a recycled material, it isapplicable for appearance surfaces as it maintains excellent gloss. It is possible toprovide SORPLAS with various capabilities such as high rigidity, impact resistanceand high flame retardancy utilising proven technology that blends additives.

One technical feature of “SORPLAS” is that the amount of flame-retardant

additive is extremely small. Sony developed an original high-performance sulfurbased flame-retardant, which is essential for SORPLAS. While conventional flame

retardants require an amount around 10% to be effective, only an extremely small
amount of this original flame-retardant is required to achieve durability, flame-

retardancy and recyclability. Due to this advantage, groundbreaking levels ofrecycled material content can come true, up to 99%. The effective utilisation of
SORPLAS has been shown to reduce CO2 emissions in product manufacturing by up
to 80%.*

Sony first used SORPLAS in its products in 2011 and has incorporated it into awide variety of Sony Group’s products including selected models for BRAVIA® TV,
Xperia™ smartphones, full-frame interchangeable lens digital cameras and video
cameras.

* In the case of SORPLAS in the BRAVIA LCD TV KDL-40EX52H. Based on Sony’ s
calculations, assuming plastic manufacturing (including shipping)“SORPLAS” is a trademark of Sony Group Corporation

Teijin Ltd. ｜JGC HOLDINGS CORPORATION｜ITOCHU Corporation
Case

23

Chemical Recycling Technology of Polyester

Teijin has been involved in chemical recycling of PET to

only for textile fibres, but also for films and bottles. In

pioneering chemical recycling technology for producing

engineering business, and ITOCHU, which has an

PET and fibre to fibre since around 2000. Teijin is apolyester fibres from discarded textile in a large-scale
plant. Compared with material recycling, this technology

has an advantage for dye stuff and impurities removal.
At the same time, the technology enables achievementof closed-loop production of all polyester products notcollaboration with JGC, which operates a global

extensive network in the textile industry, we aim torecycle polyester within the textile industry by

developing and licensing the technology domesticallyand internationally, and by establishing a recovery
system.

Chemical recycle (Teijin method)

Textile (used)

Crushed Fibre

Process

Recycled Chip

Spinning

Polyester Fibre

Removed foreign substances

Textile14

Noteworthy
Area

8

Formulating a Recycling Loop
(Plastic, Food Waste)

NEION Film Coatings Corp.｜TOYOBO CO., LTD.｜Shionogi Pharma Co., Ltd.｜TOPPAN INFOMEDIA CO., LTD.｜Mitsui Bussan Chemicals Co., Ltd.
Case

24

Closed-Loop Recycling of Label Release Film

Adhesive labels are used across a variety of industries

PET film (exclusive recycling film), which is collecteddiscarding of release film in the manufacturing andfilm through material recycling, thereby reducing

and business categories. The adhesive label results in

attaching process, up to the amount of 116 million
square meters per month in the entire domestic
manufacturing industry, and most of these are disposed
or incinerated. This project is an environmentallyfriendly initiative to replace release film with recycled

15

after use and recycled into the same exclusive recycling
release film waste to zero. The used release film that waspreviously disposed of as industrial waste can now bepurchased as a valuable resource, reducing waste andCO2 emissions.

Noteworthy Area 8

Formulating a Recycling Loop (Plastic, Food Waste)

AEON Co., Ltd.｜DAIEI KANKYO Co., Ltd.｜ AEON AGRI CREATE CO., LTD.｜
AEON RETAIL Co., Ltd.｜The Daiei Inc.
Case

25

Self-Contained Food Recycling Loop

We have established a “food recycling loop,” in whichfood waste generated at our stores is composted orconverted into animal feed for local use. The number

Aeon’s Self-Contained Food Recycling Loopof stores in this loop is approximately 290 stores in 11
locations across Japan. Since 2015, we have

implemented “AEON integrated” closed recycling
loop, whereby compost has been used on AEON farms
and the farm products have been sold at our stores.

For example, in Hyogo prefecture, DAIEI KANKYO

Aeon, Daiei, Maxvalu storescomposts food waste generated from 120 stores suchas AEON and Daiei, then AEON AGRI CREATE grows
agricultural products using the compost on its own

Daiei Kankyo Co., Ltd

Miki Satowaki Farm, and the grown vegetables are
sold at our stores. In 2020, 4476 tonnes of food waste

were collected, 186 tonnes of compost were
produced, and. 289 tonnes of agricultural products

Aeon Agri Create., Ltd.
Miki Satowaki Farm

were shipped from Miki Satowaki Farm.

JFE Engineering Corp.｜J&T Recycling Corp.｜Urban Energy Corp.｜
East Japan Railway Company｜JR East Environment Access Co., Ltd.｜J Bio Food Recycle Corp.
Case

26

Yokohama Food Recycle Project

J Bio Food Recycle was established jointly by the East

waste recycling and reduce CO2 emissions.

tonnes of food waste each day in the Tokyo area, andequivalent to the waste consigned for disposal by theconstruction of biogas power plants with methane

the emitting company at a discounted rate. This

Japan Railway Group, which disposes of about 50

JFE Engineering Group, which has a track record infermentation

technology

and

waste

treatment

technology. The aim of this project is to increase foodCollection and Transportationof food waste

J&T Recycling

Waste
Generator

JR East Environment Access

J Bio Food
RecycleCollaborating

with

Urban

Energy,electricity

emitting company to J Bio Food Recycling is returned toreturning profit system through electricity is the firstrecycling loop in Japan.

Electricity Creation Returning ®
Electricity supply

Urban Energy
Power retailer

Selling
Electricity

JFE Engineering Gr.
Selling
Electricity

J&T Recycling

Thermal recovery

Recycling of unprocessable
materials and fermentation residues

Removal of unprocessable materials for fermentation
Biogas power generation from food waste

16See J�CE Website for detail initiatives

j�ce.env.go.jp/en

Founding organisations

J�CE Secretariat

Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

����-��, Kamiyamaguchi, Hayama, Kanagawa, ���-����, Japan
E-mail: J�CE_Secretariat@iges.or.jp
URL: https://j�ce.env.go.jp/en