≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

The Chemical Industry’s Future Visionon the Chemical Recycling of Plastic Waste
18 December, 2020
Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA)
Ⅰ. Introduction
As discussions and measurements on global environmental issues including
climate change and plastic waste, have progressed across the world, there havebeen more calls for concrete actions to be taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions.
In response to the world -wide depletion of resources due to increased population
on a global scale; rapid changes of the international waste management systemthat is restricting imports of plastic waste in China and Southeast Asian nations
by their regulations; and glowing global envi ronmental issue on marine plastic
litter, the government of Japan has been implementing various measures on
climate change and resources circulation by the related laws, regulations andpolicy documents. The government deems it necessary to transform from a“linear” econom y based on a mass production, mass consumption and massdisposal pattern to a “circular” econom y system, which advances on minimize theinput of resources and energy as well as the environmental impact caused bywaste and carbon dioxide.
As for marine plastic litter, the Japanese government formulated the “Japan’s
Action Plan for Marine Plastic Litter” with a focus on how to prevent oflittering, illegal dumping and unintentional leakage of waste into the oceans
without restricting economi c growth and to realize the “Osaka Blue Ocean
Vision”, that is to reduces additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by
2050. In the action plan, the government determined key measures; 1/promotionof proper waste management system, 2/prevention of littering, illegal dumping
and unintentional leakage of waste into the oceans, 3/collection of scattered
waste on land, 4/collection of plastic litter in the oceans, 5/innovation indevelopment of alternative materials, 6/collaboration with stakeholder s,
7/international cooperation with emerging countries by sharing best practices and8/research on actual situations and development of scientific knowledge.
Moreover, through the activities of the Japan Initiative for Marine Environment(JaIME) 1 ) , various measures to foster the effective and circular use of plastic
resources have been implemented. These include LCA (Life C ycle Assessment)
studies on the reduction of environmental impacts (caused by CO 2 emissions andenergy use) through the effective use of plastic waste in an objective andscientific way, as well as training seminars to help ASEAN countries improving-1-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

their waste management capabilities.
Toward a transition to a circular econom y, it is necessary to foster the circularuse of all kinds of resources. To this end, the Japan Chemical Industry
Association (JCIA) recognized it is the urgent challenge to achieve the efficientand circular use of plastic waste in response to world issues, such as resource
limitations due to global increased population, plastic litter and climate change.
In May 2017, JCIA announced the “Chemical Industry’s VIS ION on Global
Warming Countermeasures”, in which JCIA noted that the chemical industry
should work for the “carbon circulation of raw materials” as a solution provider
and promote the reuse of waste. Plastic waste can be an important domestic
resource for Japanese chemical industry by effective using and recycling it as
resources. JCIA recognizes more efficiently using and repeatedl y recycling
plastics waste can enhance the “carbon circulation” and can be useful measures tosubstantiall y mitigate GHG emissions.
“Chemistry” has a potential in which various substances including waste can beconverted into useful materials for the environment and for peopl e. The chemicalindustry is capable of actualizing the possibilities and should play a central rolein generating the innovation required for the solution of global issues.
Accordingl y, JCIA organized the Working Group for Review of Long-Term
Strategy on t he Chemical Recycling of All Types of Plastic Waste (WG on the
CR of Plastic Waste) under its Technical Affairs Committee with theparticipation of experts from its member companies, its member associations andthe fields of chemical recycling. The purpose of the WG on the CR of Plastic
Waste is to develop the chemical industry’s future vision and strategic goals forthe issue of plastic waste toward 2050 and beyond, and to show the industry’s
action plan to achieve the vision. JCIA expects that the vision will be consideredwhen long-term strategies toward forming to a circular economy by all
stakeholders in Japan and in the world.

Ⅱ. The chemical industry’s future vision on the chemical
recycling of plastic waste(1) Picture of mid-21st century society
Many chemical products currentl y used in societ y are made by using carbon infossil-based resources. These products have supported various other industries
and our day-to-day life by being widel y used not onl y in materials and consumer
products but also in a r ange of manufacturing processes. Even in a “post coronavirus societ y- New Normal”, which is predicted to be quite different fromwhat has come before, chemical products will surel y continue to be used in large
quantities because of their unique product performances and their advanced
functionalit y.
-2-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

However, there will be required to shift away from fossil feedstock as the sourceof carbon toward use of plastic waste as feedstock by establishing the system of“carbon circulation of raw materials”. For energy sources, it is estimated that theuse of fossil resources will also substantiall y decrease and demand of waste asfuel sources will be increased. As each country has taken various measures toreduce its GHG emissions, social systems based on hydroge n and electricalenergy have steadil y been established and renewable energy will become amainstream as a secondary energy source toward the striking reduction of GHGs
emitted from fuel combustion.
(2) Chemical industry as a solution provider
In order to realize a “True Circular Society” that is the recycling system, inwhich resources keep being used efficiently and repeatedl y, with a substantial
reduction in GHG emissions and with conserving resources, the chemicalindustry will propose and provide chemi stry-based product designs and usage
scenario and also will propose and suppl y the materials necessary for therealization. To this end, the industry is expected to foster the following
technologies and business model, that ensure the chemical industry is a solution
provider:1) establishment of carbon circulation,2) process and energy innovation, and
3) selection of an environment -focused business model andestablishment of social infrastructure
The future vision focuses on the chemical recycling of plastic waste, which
can be expected to make great contributions to the establishment of carbon
circulation.
(3) Roles of chemical recycling of plastic waste in achieving a “carbon andresources circulation”
There are 3 major methods that contribute to achieve a carbon and resources
circulation; such as chemical recycling (CR), mechanical recycling (MR) andenergy recovery (ER).
CR enables plastic waste to be converted into its feedstock with its original
performance and to use the feedstock back to new product production process bymaterial circulation. This is thus capable of upcycling and is an effective material
circulation method to which the chemical industry can contribute by making thebest use of chemical industry’s characteristics.
MR contributes not onl y to material circulation, but also to GHG emissions
reduction. It should therefore be more utilized, but there is a case in which
recycling post -use plastics repeatedl y is limited because of downgraded product-3-

≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

qualit y. In the case, virgin materials and recy cled materials are therefore needed
to be mixed.
ER currentl y plays an important role to help some plastics, which are difficult tobe recycled because the plastic waste contains unnecessary materials that cannot
easil y be separated out. However, in the i ncineration of plastic waste for power
generation, large amounts of GHGs will be emitted if the power generation
efficiency is low. ER should therefore be substantiall y reduced in the future.
It is necessary to clarify the significance and roles of each r ecycling method as
options, while also reviewing environmental impacts by its LCA study.
(4) CR technologies leading by the chemical industry
At present, there are two major methods defined as CR; “circular CR” (breaking
down plastic waste into chemical raw materials, such as monomers, gases and oil(including conversion to oil by the use of a coke oven) and “one -way CR” (using
plastic waste as a blast furnace reducing agent or as a carbon source in a cokeoven).
The latter CR method is applied to plastic wa ste that is too difficult to sort andthus can contribute as alternative to reducing the use of coke. This method has
already industrialized in societ y on a relativel y large scale. However, it isdifficult for the public and consumers to get a clear image how the “one-way CR”
contributes to minimize the amount of plastic waste. It is also hard to gain theunderstanding and support by the public and consumer, who are the key player tosort plastic waste.
The chemical industry aims to focus on and promote “circular CR”, which iseasier for the public to understand and is more visible how the “circular CR”
technologies contribute to material circulation.
(5) Target value for social implementation of CR that the chemical industry
aims forThe chemical industry has determined to set its concrete targets and to show its
future direction, which is estimated in a realistic manner, in consideration of
the C LOMA (Japan Clean Ocean Material Alliance) 2 ) ’s targets set in its
Action Plan.
As the basis to set the targets, JCIA estimated the total discharge amount ofplastic waste by assuming that the amount will be reduced by about 200,000 tons
per decade in reference to the actual results in “Flowchart of plastic products,
plastic waste and resource recovery 2018* ) ”, published by the Plastic Waste
Management Institute 3 ) . Also, assuming that the recycling of plastic waste will begreatl y promoted across Japan by the improvement of waste recycle system for-4-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

the collection, sorting and recycling of plastic waste, JCIA has se t the target ofincreasing the chemical recycling amount of plastic waste up to about 1.5 million
tons per year by 2030 and up to about 2.5 million tons per year by 2050, in orderto accelerate the social implementation of circular CR system toward making the
maximum contribution to the recycling of plastic waste in the chemical industry.
Also referring to the Japanese government targets that aims to “double the use ofrecycled materials by 2030” while considering their applicabilit y in “Japan’s
Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics”, JCIA estimated the amount treated by
MR shown as reference values in the below table. Considering the Government
targets, moreover, based on the idea that plastic waste can be one of Japan’s
important domestic resources, the chemical industry will take measures to reduce
the amount of plastic waste exported overseas and to make the simple incinerationand landfilling of the waste minimize as much as possible.
Table: Targets to be achieved under the future vision, estimated by JCIA
Actual *(10,000
tons/year)
Year
Total
plastic
w astedischarge
Amounttreated bycircularCR
Sum of w aste
by MR

Target(10,000 tons/year)

2018

2030

2050

892

870

830

Remar ks
Esti mated based on the
results shown in the
Flowchart
Target

23

150

250

208

More than
300

More than350

Reference value* So ur ce: “P la s tic P r o d uc t s, P la st ic W a s te a nd Re so urc e Reco v er y [2 0 1 8 ]” b y t he P la s tic W a st e
Ma na ge me nt I n st it u te

Ⅲ. Toward the realization of the future vision
JCIA set the guiding principle and prioritized the action plan toward therealization of the “The Chemical Industry’s Future Vision on the Chemical
Recycling of Plastic Waste”.
(1) Guiding principle
Toward the realization of the future vision, the chemical industry will build as ystem that enables it to play roles as a solution provider. The system will target
all the CR processes from IN to OUT by paying attention to the whole value chain
related to the circular use of plastic waste.
-5-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

The chemical industry will foster i ndustry-government-academia collaboration tobuild a s ystem to ensure the stable suppl y of plastic waste on a scale that isnecessary to commercialize CR as a business. The industry will also work toincrease the economic feasibilit y of the CR as a busines s and will work to createa CR market by development and installation of highl y efficient CR technologies
that can demonstrate the superiorit y of CR from the viewpoint of LCA in acircular econom y (which means “from the cradle to the cradle” rather than “cradle
to grave”), and by introducing a system to make chemicall y recycled products
recognized by society.
(2) Aware the significance of CR as an option for resources circulation
To achieve “The Chemical Industry’s Future Vision on the Chemical Recyclingof Plastic Waste”, it is essential to raise public awareness of CR’s
indispensabilit y for resources circulation and for GHG emissions reduction. In
the CR process, it is much less work to sort plastic waste, which is repurposed as
raw materials for CR, and to be able to remove impurities from plastic wastecompared with the MR process.
In addition, more diverse waste plastics, including so -called dirt y plastics canbe recycled by CR. The deliverables directl y from the CR of plastic waste aredegradants and mi xtures, but these can be converted, for example, by refining
and fractional distillation, into basic chemicals as raw materials, which have an
equal qualit y to that from fossil resources and can be used as feedstock.
CR is the onl y method that plastic waste as raw materials are processed to makenew product in the material circulation system. The chemical industry recognizes
that CR is the onl y method to produce basic chemicals from plastic waste and that
it is necessary to establish verification system s for CR process. Also, the chemicalindustry will step up its CR technologies to increase resources circulation
efficiency and minimize the use of additional energy.
The significant CR technical innovation enables resources to keep circulating
efficientl y and repeatedl y and brings more GHG emissions reductions. In
particular, in Japan, which is not blessed with fossil resources, it is important tobuild the resources circulation system in the nation and to move away fromnatural resources dependence by im porting fossil fuels from abroad as much as
possible.
(3) Form an infrastructure to collect, sort, treat and stably supply plastic waste
The chemical industry will foster industry -government-academia collaboration toestablish a new system to collect, sort and treat plastic waste as a material and toensure the stable suppl y of plastic waste with stable qualit y in an amount that isnecessary for the success of CR at commercial scale. The industry will also
protect the health and safet y of labors at the facil ities treated recycled plastics. In-6-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

particular, it will implement initiatives below shown and the chemical industry
will proactivel y adopt and take the measures, that are now under examination by
the government’s council.
1) Build a rational collection, sorting and treatment system
2) Establish a large scale and highl y efficient collection system
3) Build a data platform for plastic waste and establish a waste managements ystem for the integration of processes from collection to the suppl y ofplastic waste(4) Promote the development and actual implementation of CR technologies insocietyIn the future vision, it is focused on “circular CR” technologies, that are forrecycling plastics waste into monomers, gasification and liquefaction, including
conversion to oil/liquefaction by a coke oven. However, onl y a few in the“circular CR” technologies are currentl y in actual use. In order to gain widespreaduse of the “circular CR” technologies in societ y, it is important to develop
innovative CR technologies in addit ion to securing a stable suppl y system ofwaste plastics as mentioned in previous clause.
The current status that applicable “circular CR” technologies for various t ypes ofplastic waste are as explained as follows;
Chemical recycling into monomers is promising high recycling rate because of
the small recycling loop in process. But the materials chemically recycled intomonomers are limited to PST (Pol yst yrene), MMA (Methyl methacrylate), PET(Pol yethylene terephthalate) and some others, and it is applied to onl y plastic
waste that contains a single material at a high rate in the collection and sorting
process. Depending upon the purit y and types of materials from waste, it istherefore important to consider which method to choose CR or MR as
appropriate.
As for chemical recycling into oil, even the waste mixed by various plastic
materials can be applied. In the case of treatment by using a naphtha cracker, PP(Pol ypropylene), PE (Pol yethylene) and PST (Pol yst yrene) that have high CH(hydrocarbon) conten t and do not contain ox ygen, are suitable. However, even if
the plastic waste contains sulfur, nitrogen or ox ygen, these substances can beremoved by oil refining. In the case, a wider range of plastic materials areallowed to be treated that enables to in crease the amount of plastic waste.
For the gasification technologies in CR, the targeted plastic waste can be more
expanded to the plastic waste that cannot be treated by MR or cannot be
converted to monomers or oil/liquefaction through CR. Gasification can use any
dirt y level of waste plastics, which are currentl y treated by Energy Recovery(ER) and landfill.
-7-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

In addition to promoting the conventional MR of PVC (Pol yvinyl chloride)
waste, the pol yvinyl chloride industry has supported to research and develop
technologies to foster the CR of PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) waste, including theseparation technology to extract PVC resin and chlorine from the waste. In the
future, along with the development of various CR technologies, wider t ypes ofplastic waste can be treated by CR.
These technologies have basicall y been developed by each company, but JCIA
will support and encourage each company’s technology development to scale up
and industrialize CR technologies, such as to reduce the use of energy, to cut thenecessary cost, and to make plastic waste into monomers by the CR, which is still
far from the commercialization, through industry -government - academia
collaboration as much as possible(5) Social implement of CR by Public financial support
Through industry-government -academia collaboration, the chemical industry will
work toward obtaining financial supports to invest chemical recycling facilities,
for which vast equipment investment is required. On the other hand, SMEs andlocal communities also play esse ntial roles for the establishment of a circular
econom y. The industry will support employment promotion and local SMEs’
revitalization by using existing local infrastructure provided by the private
capital.
If CO 2 is proactivel y utilized in the CR process to convert plastic waste into otherchemical materials, it is desirable to offer incentives according to the amount of
CO 2 consumed for the conversion.
(6) Improve the value of plastic waste in resource circulation
In order to promote the industrialization of the recycling of plastic waste, thechemical industry has worked for CR technologies innovation to maintain thequalit y of recycled plastics same as virgin plastics as an essential technology. The
CR has already been implemented outside Japan as the rec ycling rate of plastic
waste has increased. It is critical to create and support ideas and needs such as theuse of chemical recycled plastic products contributes to the environment and isvalued and cool among consumers and consumer products manufacturers .
(7) Ensure traceability and develop certification system for recycled plastic
quality
The chemical industry will build a series of systems, including a certifications ystem to ensure the safet y and a sense of ease of recycled plastics to the public.
The s ystems will help consumers understand the social value brought by recycledplastics, and then develop a market for recycled plastic products. Specificall y,through industry-government -academia collaboration, the chemical industry will
move chemical recycling forward by certification based on by globall y-8-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

recognized standards, for example, ISO standards. The standards specify the three
key processes of chemical recycling: recycling into monomers, converting therecycled monomers into pol ymers, and processing the recycled pol ymers into
products. The industry will also develop qualit y standards and process standards
on chemical recycling technologies, and the standards for recycled products,
which define content rate of recyc led materials. In addition, the industry willconsider creating a conformit y assessment system and marking system, which canvisuall y appeal to consumers, like the Eco Marking Program.
(8) Assess chemical recycling by Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology
It is expected that total GHG emissions from energy use will decrease because of
reduction of energy use for chemical recycling by technologies innovation andbecause of increase of using renewable energy as a major energy source insociet y. Additionall y, i n order to gain the general public’s understanding
regarding chemical recycling, the chemical industry will assess and publish
environmental impacts, including GHG emission reduction brought by chemical
recycling processes by considering the mass balance approach and by using LCA
methodology.
JCIA has decided to take the following actions toward the strategic directions
mentioned above:(1) To get all the collective effort in the chemical industry and to formulate
programs to develop chemical recycling-related technologies by thecollaboration through industry-government - academia, in order to build andrealize a “True Circular Societ y”.
(2) To propose an international certification system for contributing to a substantial
reduction of plastic waste overseas and fo r the global deployment of the Japanesechemical industry’s technologies with economic rationalit y.
(3) To build a collaboration system that transcends conventional industrial
boundaries and to propose reviewing the legal systems that ensure the stablesuppl y of plastic waste in order to generate for social innovation across the valuechain

Ⅳ. Conclusion
Through the JCIA member companies’ innovation, the chemical industry has
tackled plastics waste issues proactivel y to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste as
resources to keep circulating efficientl y and repeatedl y. Toward the achievement ofa carbon-neutral societ y by 2050, the chemical industry aims to significantl y reduce
GHG emissions from plastic waste. To this end, the industry will work to reverse
the ratio of the one -way use of plastic products to the circular use of plastics.
Chemical recycling led by the industry’ technologies will be recognized an
important recycling method that will help increase the plastic recycling rate. The
chemical industry will sincerel y strive to the following items:-9-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

1) To reduce the use of fossil resources substantiall y;2) To demonstrate chemical industry as a solution provider;
3) To achieve the chemical recycling technologies industrialized, whichmake plastic waste into gases, monomers and oil; and4) To set and achieve relevant numerical targets.
It is clear that there are extremel y difficult challenges to implement the global
Warming Countermeasures and to establish post -COVID-19 social system -New
Normal domesticall y and globall y. Accordingl y, all industries should cooperatewith each other and make all possible efforts toward the difficult challenges.
JCIA and its all stakeholders are committed making all possible efforts forcontribution to establish a “True Circular Societ y” as a solution provider. JCIA
earnestl y expects that its stakeholders to refer to the future vision that helps thestakeholders to develop their specific programs/action plans to realize thestrategic goals in the vision together.
End of document<< Notes >>1) Japan Initia tive for Ma rine En viron men t (JaIME)
In o rder to d elibe rate, p lan, c onduct, an d pro mote measures as Japan’s chemical industr y
includin g the p la stic in dustry in view o f th e spirit of “Responsib le C are” regarding themarine p lastic prob le m whic h is being recogn ized as a political and g lo bal en viron men ta lissue, 22 c o mpan ie s ce ntering on the Directors of the JC IA inaugu rated “Japan In itia tiveof Marin e Environ men t” (here inafter called JaIME) on Sep tember 7, 2018.
Curren tly, 47 co mpan ie s and o rgan izatio ns as members and three org anizations as
supporting me mbe rs (a s of Marc h 31, 2 019) have jo ined JaIME where the fiveorgan iza tion s, the Japa n Che mic al Indu stry Association, the Japan P lastics Indu stry
Federatio n, the P lastic Waste Managemen t In st itu te, the Japan P etrochemical Industry
Association, and the V in yl En viron men tal Cou ncil, manag e the jo int secretariat.
Fo r more info rma tion: see p age 7
http s://www.nikk ak yo. org/site s/defau lt/files/JCIA_annual_2019E. pdf
2) Japan Clean Ocean Materia l Alliance (C LOMA )Japan Clean Ocean Materia l Alliance (C LOMA ) was estab lished in January 2019 ,consisting of co mpan ie s respon sib le fo r consu mer p roduct supply chains. In o rder tosolve curren t issu es in marine p lastic litter, it is n ecessar y to co llect p lastic litter
while also mak ing effo rts to pre vent mo re p lastics fro m flo wing into the ocean.
Leverag ing the techno log y and kno who w accu mu lated b y Japan’s ind ust rial
co mmun ity, C LOMA en dea vors to accelerate innovation for the 3R (reduce, reuse
and recyc le ) and a lte rn ative materials, and to encourage ex tensive plastic recycling
throug h pub lic -p riva te partn ership s.
- 10-≪Japan Chemical Industry Association≫
Technical Affairs Department, Phone: + 81 3 3297 2578
URL: http://www.nikkakyo.org/

Fo r the C LOMA Action P lan:
http s://c lo ma. net/wp -co nten t/up load s/2020/08/CLOMA ActionP lan_Eng -ver1 -1 -2.pdf
Fo r the su mmary o f the Action P lan :http s://c lo ma. net/wp conten t/uplo ads/2020 /0 9/C LOMA_actionp lan_ %E5%86%8A%E5%AD%90_%E8%8B%B1%E8%AA%9E%E7%89%88.pdf
3) P lastic Wa ste Ma nage ment Institu te（P WMI）
Origin ally founded in December 1 971 as th e P lastic Managemen t Research
Association, the P la stic Waste Managemen t Institu te (P WMI) received its cu rrent
name in July o f the fo llowing year as operatio ns exp anded. Fo r the last 40 y ears o r
so, P WMI has endea vo red to research and d evelop techno log y for th e optimal
processing and e ffec tive use of p lastic waste and to pub licize its find ings.
P WMI’s objective s were newly e stablish ed in April 2013 as “surveyi ng andresearch ing the rec yc li ng of p la stic waste and contribu ting to a reduction inenviron men ta l load b y the total rec ycling o f p lastic, and help ing p lastic -relatedindustrie s to expand th eir business so undly an d contributing to the creation o f asociety cap able of su stainab le g rowth.”
Fo r the ma te rial flow d iagra m: see age 4
and 5
http s://www.pwmi. or. jp /ei/siryo/ei/ei_pd
f/ei49.p df- 11-