Japan’s Experience inPromotion of the 3Rs
For the Establishment of a Sound Material-Cycle Society

Published: April 2005
●Contact

Policy and Coordination Division
Global Environment Bureau
Te l : +81-3-3581-3351 (ex. 6783)
Fax: +81-3-3593-3636
Policy Planning Division
Waste Management and Recycling Department
Minister’s Secretariat
Te l: +81-3-3581-3351 (ex.6817)
Fax: +81-3-3593-8262
Ministry of the Environment
1-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100-8975
Japan
Ministerial Conference on the 3R Initiative Website
http://www.env.go.jp/earth/3r/en

Printed on 100% recycled paper with soy ink for environmental protection

Towards International Promotion of the 3Rs
Contents

Humankind has achieved breathtaking developments in science andtechnology at an incredible pace, which has enabled the realization ofa society that is both convenient and comfortable. The other side tothis development is evident in the number of global environmental
issues that humankind now faces, not the least of which is climatechange. With our lifestyles dependent on limited resources, it isessential that each and every one of us takes up these global environmental issues and endeavor to attain the mutual achievement of environmental protection and economic development.
The importance of environmental protection is well understood inJapan, given our first-hand experience of pollution arising from theprocess of economic development. Today in Japan, people, businessCourtesy of CABINET PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICEThe Case for the 3Rs in Today’s World
Japan’s Experience: A Sound Material-Cycle Society Evolving through Trial and Error
Japan’s Experience in Municipal Waste Management and Lessons Learned.Improvement in Waste Management: Efforts by the Central and Local Governments.Three Keys to Success: Understanding, Participation, and Cooperation.Inadequacy of a Waste Management Strategy Focusing Solely on Disposal
Japan’s Experience in Industrial Waste Management and Lessons Learned.Responsibility Lies with waste Generators: A Fundamental Principle.Business Efforts Resulting in Environmental and Economic Benefits.The Need for a Level Playing Field
Japan’s Efforts to Establish a Sound Material-Cycle Society.Evolution from Waste Management to the 3Rs.The Roles of Various Stakeholders
Five Keywords for a Sound Material-Cycle SocietyInternational Cooperation for Promoting a Sound Material-Cycle Society
Spirit for Promotion of the 3Rs: “mottainai”

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5
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es and the central and local governments are working cooperatively
to establish a sound material-cycle society in which waste is reduced, reusable products are reused andwaste is recycled as a resource under the Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle
Society and the Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society.

What are the 3Rs?
The principle of reducing waste, reusing and recycling resources and products is often called the

The key to mutually achieving environmental protection and economic development is the power of“3Rs”. Reducing means choosing to use things with care to reduce the amount of waste generated.

science and technology. The Japanese notion of “mottainai,” which recognizes value in things andReusing involves the repeated use of items or parts of items which still have usable aspects.

reduces the amount of waste and reuses reusable items, has the potential to be even more effective

Recycling means the use of waste itself as resources. Waste minimization can be achieved in anwhen linked to science and technology.

efficient way by focusing primarily on the first of the 3Rs, “reduce,” followed by “reuse” and then“recycle.”

At the Group of Eight (G8) Sea Island Summit in June of 2004, I proposed the creation of a soundmaterial-cycle society, to which the leaders assembled at Sea Island showed their support. Japan isdetermined to lead the world in promoting the activities associated with the 3Rs, namely reducing,reusing and recycling waste. I will endeavor to see awareness of the dual concepts of the 3Rs and“mottainai” spread throughout the world, taking the opportunity provided by the Ministerial
Conference on the 3R Initiative to be held in Tokyo in April 2005.
It is through the mutual achievement of environmental protection and economic development that wemust pass on this beautiful earth to our children.
I sincerely hope that this brochure, which provides details of lessons learned in Japan through years ofexperience in dealing with environmental issues, will prove useful for people throughout the world
who are seeking to intensify the 3Rs approach and that as a result, the circle of 3Rs activities can be
expanded even further.
Junichiro Koizumi
Prime Minister of Japan
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The Case for the 3Rs in Today’s World

Efficient Use of Resources is Now a Global Challenge
Increasing world population and urbanization

The global demand for resources has been increasing sharply because of increases in the population and the economic
expansion. The consumed resources ultimately become waste, imparting negative impacts on water, the air and theglobal environment. Although developed countries are consuming much of the resources at present, developing countries are also experiencing an increasingly serious waste issue due to the progress of urbanization and economic development.
This trend is expected to accelerate in the coming years, and the advancement of globalization will further stimulate
the international movement of products and recyclable resources.
Thus, establishing a sound material-cycle society with a reduced environmental load through the collaboration of all
countries has become an issue to be addressed. The establishment of sustainable production and consumption patterns
through the 3Rs is necessary to realize a world in which people can enjoy highly fulfilled life.

Environmental Degradation Due to Rapid Growth in Resource Use

World population will increase to 9.1 billion
by 2050 (of which 60% live in Asia).

Mega-cities with populations of 10 million will
increase to 22 by 2015 half of which will be in Asia.

It is critical to create sustainable patterns of production and consumption.
Society of mass production, consumption &disposal is unsustainable

Economic growth and globalization
World GDP will increase to about US$100 trillion by
2050, with Asia accounting for 30%.
World trade value will increase from US$3.7 trillion in 1995 to
US$ 8.7 - 13.2trillion in 2020.

The 3R Initiative: Promoting a sound material-cycle society internationally through the 3Rs
Recrafting the social system
Recrafting our lifestyles

Recrafting the production system

Establishing sustainable production and consumption patterns
NatureIncreasing wastes

Improperwaste disposal

Rapid increase inhard-to-manage wastes

Daily life

Society

Industry

Sustainable Society
34Japan’s Experience: A Sound Material-Cycle Society Evolving through Trial and Error

5

In Japan, policies designed to maintain and improve public hygiene began in the 1950’s. In the 1960’s, damage to human healthby severe industrial pollution became social issues, typically represented by four major cases of pollution accompanying rapid
economic growth, namely Minamata Disease (mercury poisoning), Niigata Minamata Disease, Yokka-ichi Asthma and Itai-Itai
Disease (cadmium poisoning). In response, strenuous efforts began in the 1970’s for environmental conservation. In the 2000’s,
full-scale efforts to establish a sound material-cycle society, in which the consumption of natural resources is minimized toreduce the environmental load, have commenced in order to bring about the co-existence of the environment and economic
prosperity.

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Municipal Waste
Japan’s Experience in Municipal Waste Management and Lessons Learned

Improvement in Waste Management:
Efforts by Central and Local Governments
In Japan, central and local governments have been playing an important role in the management of municipal waste.
The central government has stipulated the management framework for municipal waste and conducts information gathering and utilization, technological development and the provision of assistance to the local governments. Meanwhile,the local governments have created modern waste collection systems using the know-how which they accumulated
when establishing public hygiene mechanisms as the amount of generated municipal waste increased sharply during
the period of high economic growth in the 1960s. Subsequently, both the central and local governments have intensified their efforts to modernize sanitation and to implement environmental conservation measures.

Why is incineration so common in Japan?
Growth in Incineration in Japan

Comparison of Incineration Rates

Start of Municipal Waste Management
Around 1890, local governments developed and introduced human resources and new technologies in order tocombat the spread of infectious diseases. This experience formed the foundations for the establishment of a management system for municipal waste. Local residents also played a significant role through their cooperation for
waste collection and through their understanding of the importance of the beauty and the hygiene of their towns.

Collection of human waste (1959)

Transfer of waste to a truck (1951)

Residents cooperating in waste collection(1957)

Rationale forIncineration

Modernization of Municipal Waste Management
Modernisation rapidly progressed to treat the rapidly increasing amount of municipal waste in a sanitary manner. Packer
trucks were introduced to replace manual collection, starting regular collection. Continuous-loading waste incinerators
were introduced in addition to batch-loading incinerators, and further emission control measures were promoted. The
sanitary (semi-aerobic) landfill method was introduced together with liner sheets and thorough leachate treatment.
Waste Collection

Waste Incinerators
Tokyo, 1957

Sanitary Landfills

Tokyo, 1933

Fukuoka, 1975

Limited habitable land (about 30% of the territory) Necessity of waste volume reduction
High temperature and humidity in summer Necessity of rapid, sanitary waste treatment

Introduction of Advanced Environmental Measures
In cities generating a large amount of solid waste, active
efforts are being made to effectively use the exhaust heatfrom incineration for power generation and other purposes.

The local governments conduct ongoing efforts for the coexistence of people and waste incinerators, such as gas emissions control via the strict maintenance of incineration temperatures and appearance of the incinerator within the landscape.

100 million kWh
60

50

40

30

20

10

Tokyo, present

0

Fukuoka, present

Osaka, present

Incinerator in urban area

7

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

Power generated by waste incinerators

8

2000

2001

Municipal Waste
Japan’s Experience in Municipal Waste Management and Lessons Learned

Three Keys to Success: Understanding, Participation, and Cooperation
Serious conflicts occurred between local governments, which wanted to establish waste management facilities such as
incinerators and landfills to deal with the rapidly increasing municipal waste during the period of high economic
growth, and local residents, who were concerned about a worsening of the local environment due to these facilities.
The campaigns against waste management facilities by residents spread throughout Japan, and in some cases there
occured clashes between them. Through these experiences, however, both local governments and residents learned theimportance of dealing cooperatively with the issues of management and reduction of municipal waste.

Intensified Campaigns against Waste Management Facilities by Residents
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NIMBY
NIMBY is an abbreviation for “Not
In My Back Yard” and signifies thepsychological stance in which people oppose the construction of “nuisance” facilities in their own local
area even while accepting that aneed for such facilities exists. As
the construction of waste management facilities near residential
areas in Japanese cities was often
necessary, in some cases NIMBY
manifested itself strongly.

Rapidly increasing municipal waste

40

30

20

10

Increasing needs for constructionof waste incinerators and landfills

Lessons Learned from Disputes over Waste Management
Local Governments

Residents

Local governments have become increasingly awareof the importance of disclosing environmental information concerning municipal waste management
facilities to obtain the understanding of local residents and other stakeholders and of proceeding withefforts to reduce the amount of municipal waste incooperation with local residents and businesses.

Local residents have become aware that they are
the generators of municipal waste and realized theneed to recycle, including sorting wastes based ontype, as well as to generate as little waste as possible at home.

Rule setting

Creation of posters

Rule-based sorting of waste

Awareness-raising0Tokyo’s Waste War
A serious social problem described as “a waste war” occurred inTokyo, beginning when Koto Ward, where the New Yumenoshimalandfill site was located, refused in 1971 to accept solid waste from
Suginami Ward, where local residents had opposed the construction ofa new waste incineration plant (Suginami Incineration Plant) to treat
the municipal waste generated in their own ward. This waste war lasted for nearly three years with the local authorities and residents of thetwo wards clashing against each other.
This war was an important incident in terms of shedding light on the
problem of waste, which had so far attracted little social attention.
People came to think about the way society functioned, resulting inenormous amounts of waste, and began to realize the necessity of
reducing and recycling waste. Funds and technologies began to bechanneled into means of reducing the increasing amounts of waste
as well as methods for appropriate management.

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Residents opposing
construction of waste
management facilities
Collection of recyclable resources through community-basedorganizations

Integration of environmental education into theschool curriculum

Conflict

On-site visits to waste incinerators

Providing one’s own bag when grocery shopping10

Municipal Waste
Japan’s Experience in Municipal Waste Management and Lessons Learned

Inadequacy of a Waste Management Strategy Focusing Solely on Disposal
The rapid increase in municipal waste prompted local residents and local governments to work together to sort waste
paper and packaging and other items for reuse or recycling, using group-based collection. Lifestyle changes andimprovements in the standard of living, however, have brought about a continuous increase as well as diversification ofmunicipal waste.
As it became apparent that the efforts of local residents and local governments alone were insufficient for the proper
management of municipal waste, the central government faced the urgent task of creating a mechanism whereby all
stakeholders, including businesses, local residents and local governments, cooperated to reduce municipal waste.

Increases in Waste and its Changing NatureOver the last 40 years since the period of rapid economic growth began, the amount of household waste
has tripled by weight. The nature of waste has also changed to include plastic containers and packaging,advertisement flyers, leaflets and old newspapers, and kitchen refuse and left-over food. Towards the endof the 1990’s, TV sets and other home appliances became highly noticeable among municipal waste.

New Approach to Reducing Waste:
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Municipal waste used to be mainly managed at such downstream responses as the recycling and disposal of products discarded as waste. This system eventually was overwhelmed by the ever-increasing amount of municipal waste, leading to the emergence of the idea of extended producer responsibility (EPR), whereby manufactures would be responsible to a certain extent for the adequate reuse,recycling and disposal of their discarded products.
As a result, manufactures are now required to adopt the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) approach tominimize the negative impacts of their products on the environment throughout life cycle of a product,
and they have begun the development of new products which are less likely to turn into waste, easy
to reuse or recycle or imparting fewer impacts on the environment when discarded.

Dwindling Landfill Capacity and Increasing Waste Management Costs
The increased amount of municipal waste caused a shortage of landfill sites while the cost of municipal waste collection, transportation, treatment and disposal sharply increased.
Waste Management Costs

Remaining Landfill Capacity
2.5

3,000

2.0

2,500

1.5

25,00020,0002,000
15,0001,500

1.0

10,000
1,000

0.5

500

5,000

0

0

11

0

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Industrial Waste
Japan’s Experience in Industrial Waste Management and Lessons Learned

Responsibility Lies with Waste Generators: A Fundamental Principle
Industrial activities produce both products and waste. Industrial waste was initially disposed of on the premises of theplants generating the waste or in landfills administered by local governments. However, the increase in and diversification of industrial waste since the 1960’s made it difficult for local governments to play the main role in the management of industrial waste. It was also at this time that the importance of properly managing industrial waste was recognized keenly because of the occurrence of severe industrial pollution that caused Minamata Disease and other serious
threats to human health.

Establishment of a National Framework for Waste Management

History of Industrial Waste
In Japan, waste is classified into industrial waste and municipal waste in order to clarify who is responsible forwaste management. The responsibility to manage industrial waste lies with waste generators, who are regulated
under the Waste Management Law. The background for this structure was the strong social demand to prevent a
recurrence of Minamata Disease and other health threats that had arisen from industrial pollution.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, environmental pollution from illegal dumping of wastes became a serious problem,
necessitating the introduction of a system in 1991 that mandates special management for hazardous waste* separately from industrial waste and municipal waste.
* In the Waste Management Law, this is referred to as “specially controlled solid waste.”

The Waste Management Law enacted in 1970classified waste into industrial waste, discharged from business activities, and generalwaste (municipal waste), and set forth business
entities (industrial waste generators) and local
governments as responsible for managementof industrial and municipal waste, respectively.

Establishment of Organizations for Industrial Waste Management
Market Development
Responsibility for waste Management
lies with the waste generator

What is industrial waste?
Among the many types of waste generated
through business activities, twenty types areclassified as industrial waste.

Generators of industrial waste are required to
manage waste at facilities authorized under
the applicable management standards.

Waste plastics
Truck forindustrial
waste transportation

Waste generators are allowed to contract
with a third party to have their industrial
waste managed, resulting in the establishment of industrial waste management market. Along with the number of management
facilities for industrial waste, the number ofbusinesses involved in its collection, transport, intermediate treatment and/or final disposal has increased to comprise a marketof ¥2-4 trillion (0.4 - 0.8% of Japan’s GDP)
today.

Number of Authorized Industrial Waste Management Facilities* 107 yen / USD (April 2005 rate)

SludgeAdministration of Industrial Waste

Incinerator forindustrial
waste
Concrete debris

Wood pieces
Landfill forindustrial
waste

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Local governments conduct on-the-spot
inspection of both industrial waste generators and companies which collect, transport,
or dispose of industrial waste in order todetermine if the waste is being managed
properly.
The proper control of industrial waste
demands the constant enhancement of theprofessional capabilities of the relevant staff
members of local governments. For thisreason, a central government organization
provides training for these staff members.

Local government staff supervisingtransporters of industrial waste

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Industrial Waste
Japan’s Experience in Industrial Waste Management and Lessons Learned

Business Efforts Resulting in Environmental and Economic Benefits
The establishment of a mechanism by which business entities treat the industrial waste they discharge in accordance with their
responsibility means that generators pay the costs of the management of industrial waste. Because of this, business entities havebegun to reuse actively the waste generated through their production processes or reconsider their procuring of raw materials.
Business entities have also been making progressive efforts to reconsider their manufacturing methods to reduce the amount ofindustrial waste.
As a result, there is a growing realization of a win-win relationship in which the generators of industrial waste and the users of such
waste (recyclable resources) can reduce the management cost and the raw material procurement cost respectively while reducing theenvironmental load. The reuse and recycling of waste have produced a new environmental business, namely, the recycling business.
Meanwhile, environmentally-sound technologies have made great progress, as the introduction of the EPR principle has stimulated
the development of not only waste management and recycling technologies but also design and manufacturing technologies forenvironmentally-sound products.

Examples of Efforts by Business Entities
Reduction

Reuse

Reusable boxes are used for transporting raw
materials and manufactured goods.

In useParts of used automatedteller machines (ATMs) arereused as maintenanceparts of other ATMs

Achieving a Win-Win Situation:Attaining Economic and Environmental Benefits
Example of Company A
Company A, a manufacturer of precision equipment (net sales of -¥150 billion with 3,700 employees), realized in fiscal 2003 the environmental andeconomic benefits shown in this table throughlessened consumption of resources, the reduction/recycling of waste and measures designed toreduce the amount of materials procured.

Effects of Environmental Protection, Economic Benefits
Compared with the Previous Year(million yen)
Water consumption

44,000m3 (5%off)

Paper consumption

4t (5%off)

Waste generation
Reduction of use of
raw materials

473t (14%off)
842.1t

21.1
40.5
450.4

107yen / USD (April 2005 rate)

Economic Benefits

Environmental Benefits

The economic effects of the recycling sector,
including the manufacture of recycling equipment, supply of recycling services and manufacture of products using recycled materials,
are now equivalent to 1.6% of Japan’s GDP.

The amount of industrial waste landfilled
annually in Japan has been decreasing since
1990.
Weight of Landfilled Industrial Wastes

FoldedRecycling
Construction waste to construction materials

Design for easy recycling
change the material of the cap from aluminum
to plasticchange colored container to transparent one forincreasing the recyclability
perforated for easy tearing of the wrapping
cover
label to indicate the material of the container
for the separate waste collection

Raw materials

Crushed chips

Construction material

Recycling Industry Market Scale and
Employment Figures2000(Existing)2020(Forecast)Market scale¥8.2 trillion¥10.5 trillion

Employment

212,000

232,000
107yen / USD (April 2005 rate)

Usable as structural materials such as pillars and sills

Factors Encouraging Companies to Promote the 3Rs
Japanese companies had an early start in using the 3Rs to deal with industrial waste. Factors prompting these efforts
include those listed to the right. In 1997, the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (the “Keidanren”) announced
the Voluntary Environmental Action Programme, focused primarily on measures for climate change mitigation and industrial waste management, which facilitated an industry-wide approach for dealing with environmental issues. Numerical targets for waste management were set in 1999 and the degree to which targets are being achieved is reviewed annually.

15.Difficulty of securing disposal sites for industrial waste because of insufficient land
.Slow economic growth after the peak period in the 1960’s lower production costs.Price hikes in raw materials by the two oil crises lower production costs.As a result of the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility, there is a demand for a Life Cycle
Assessment approach, where attention should be paid to recycling or final disposal

16Industrial Waste
Japan’s Experience in Industrial Waste Management and Lessons Learned

The Need for a Level Playing Field
One major premise for the proper functioning of waste management and the 3Rs mechanisms is that all stakeholders
act by setting up rules while respecting the purposes of these mechanisms. Unlike wastewater or exhaust gas, however,
the environmental pollution caused by industrial waste at the discharge stage is difficult to identify. Moreover, thetransfer of industrial waste between different businesses makes it extremely difficult to monitor the situation, and it is afact that some people are engaged in illegal dumping or illegal transboundary movement of wastes.
The social mechanism begins to malfunction if the economic gain by those involved in illegal acts is left unchallenged
and uncontrolled. Illegal waste dumping, a typical example of an illegal act, causes not only an obvious adverse impact
on the environment but also major economic losses because of the massive cost of restoring the environment back to
the original state.
The prevention of such a situation to ensure a level playing field among businesses is one of the important roles of thecentral and local governments.

Enhancement of Measures to Ensure Fair Rules

Cases of Illegal Dumping and Transboundary Movement of Wastes
Industrial waste consisting of waste oil and sludge
containing such toxic substances as cadmium
and lead discharged by chemical plants and thelike was illegally dumped at Teshima Island in
Kagawa Prefecture which is located in the Seto
Inland Sea National Park (1978 to 1990).
Amount of waste, etc. dumped illegally:
Approx. 562,000 m3
Costs of restoration:
Approx. ¥44.7 billion (estimated).
.

*107yen / USD (April 2005 rate)

Illegal Waste Dumping in Japan. Cases not resolved: 2,320. Amount remaining:

about 12.67 million tons
Data as of March 2004

In some cases, home
appliances collected forrecycling have been illegally dumped.

Medical waste containing used syringes, tubes for intravenous drips and used disposable diapers, etc. were
found in exported consignments purporting to be recycled paper (1999).
Amount of the wastes illegally exported: 2,000 tons
Take back and treatment/disposal costs borne by thegovernment: approx. ¥280 million.
.

Explanatory meeting on transboundary
movement of wastes for business entities*107yen / USD (April 2005 rate)

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Japan’s Efforts to Establish a Sound Material-Cycle Society

Evolution from Waste Management to the 3Rs
The realization of sustainable development requires the establishment of a sound material-cycle society in which theconsumption of natural resources and the environmental load are reduced. Japan has been attempting to achieve thisbased on two pillars: promotion of the 3Rs and environmentally-sound management of waste.

Legal System for a Sound Material-Cycle Society
Within the basic framework provided by the Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society,
the Law for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources has been introduced to cover the production stage
along with various laws regulating the collection and recycling stage in correspondence with the specific characteristics of individual products or goods, and the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law to cover thewaste management stage. In addition, the Law on Promoting Green Purchasing has been enforced to facilitate thepurchase of products which take the environmental impacts at the consumption/use stage into consideration.

Planned Actions for a Sound Material-Cycle Society
The Japanese Cabinet adopted the Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society in 2000
to realize the goal, and a systematic approach is being taken under this law with concrete numerical targets
being set for the target year of 2010. For the establishment and follow-up of these numerical targets, data on
how many resources are used to make such products as automobiles and home appliances and buildings, etc.,
how many are recycled and how many are finally disposed of as waste are applied.

*Resource productivity = GDP / Direct material input**Cyclical use rate =Reused and recycled material input / total material input

From fiscal 2005, a new approach is under way whereby the central government and local governments jointly
formulate local plans to promote the establishment of a sound material-cycle society, set targets to promote the
3Rs and implement the necessary measures as a package.

Council on Promotion of Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society(Collaboration among the central and local governments beginning with the conceptual stage)

Local Plans on Promotion of Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society.Implementing bodies: Municipalities with a certain population or greater.Targets: Reduction (generation of waste per capita), recycling rate, amount of final disposal.Policy packages: Development of facilities for material and thermal recycling and final
disposal etc.
(with the central government providing grants for part of the project costs)

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Japan’s Efforts to Establish a Sound Material-Cycle Society

The Roles of Various Stakeholders
The efforts of the entire society, through the cooperation of all stakeholders, are necessary and, indeed, indispensablefor the establishment of a sound material-cycle society. The Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle
Society sets forth clearly-defined roles for such stakeholders as the central government, local governments, the private
sector, communities and NGOs so that these bodies can proceed with their own efforts with a full awareness of their
expected roles.

. Selfrecognition as waste generators to give adverse.Providing environmentally-sound goods and services.Take back and reuse/recycling of used products in keep-

sorting of wastes.Participation in 3R-related policy making

impacts to the environment.Reconsideration of one's lifestyle.Selection of environmentally-sound goods and services.Participation in 3R-related activities such as thoroughing with EPR.Environmentally-sound management of wastes.Establishment of an environmental management system.Provision of information to consumers (environmental
labels and environmental reports)

Thorough sorting of containers.Promotion of practical actions at the local level.Promotion of awareness-raising.Providing environmental education and learning(e.g., community study sessions).Monitoring of actions by business entities andgovernments.Submission of policy proposals.Holding seminars for government and company
personnel by non-profit business associations

Use of used car parts

Community study sessions
Recycling of food waste.Development of systems, such as preparation of the legal
framework. Subsidies and preferential taxation for facilities, and

The Central Environment Council, with stakeholder representative
participants

research and development for establishing a sound material-cycle society.Support and information provision to encourage citizens
and NGOs to take voluntary actions.Preparation of basis for stakeholders’ actions.Taking actions as a business entity and a consumer (e.g.,green purchasing).Promotion of international cooperation and policy dialogues in the field of the 3Rs.Ensuring enforcement of laws and ordinances.Preparation of action plans.Green purchasing, awareness-raising, information disclosure. Assuring community participation in the decision-making

Development of plans with community participation

process for relevant policy measures.Development of hubs for 3R-related businesses.Acting as local coordinator for the establishment of a soundmaterial-cycle society.Development of spaces and opportunities for exchange of used Repairing broken ceramics
goods and information, and providing fora for study on recycling (e.g., recycling plazas).Promotion of international cooperation

Recycling Plaza

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Furniture repair

Five Keywords for a Sound Material-Cycle Society

Five Keywords for a Sound Material-Cycle Society
For the promotion of the 3Rs as the foundation for the establishment of a sound material-cycle society, various
approaches are necessary, focusing on the increasing of awareness, partnerships between various bodies, sharing of
information, technological research/development and incentives. Effective linkage between these diverse approaches
will achieve multiplied or synergistic effects, making the effective promotion of the 3Rs possible.

Information Sharing
For the promotion of the 3Rs, information leading to 3R-related activities must be widely shared by all stakeholders. Such information facilitates understanding of the 3Rs among stakeholders, enhances self-awareness regarding their expected roles and acts as a bridge leading to concrete actions.
As the achievement of the 3Rs requires the partnership of various stakeholders from the product design
stage through to the recycling/disposal stage, the sharing of information is vital to establish the mutual
understanding and cooperation of various stakeholders. In the case of globally-distributed products (e.g.,cell phones and personal computers), the sharing of information between exporting countries and importing
countries is required for their proper recycling.

The following labels play an important role in facilitating information sharing among various stakeholders.
The following web page provides a database which
can be used to search for information on various
labels.
http://www.env.go.jp/policy/hozen/green/ecolabel/

Labels indicating environmental friendliness of products
Ecomark

PC green label

Recycled paper

Awareness-raising
For the promotion of 3R-related activities, it is essential that stakeholders understand the importance of theircooperation among them. For this reason, promotion of environmental education designed to make people
recognize the necessity for 3R-related activities is required in addition to the consolidation of basic education and the promotion of hygiene education. The improved awareness of people will lead to fostering abasis upon which 3R-related efforts, technologies and policies are accepted.

Labels indicating material type of recycling
Aluminumcan

PET bottle

Paper container andpacking

Plastic container andpacking

The sharing of information on the outcomes of various efforts is also important.
Discarded can collection by Junior Eco-Club

Prize posters
in 2003

In Japan, the White Paper on a Sound Material-Cycle Society is
published every year, describing the efforts/approaches to createa sound material-cycle society and their achievements.

Preparation of posters, holding poster competition
Study on recyclables sorting by Junior Eco-Club

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Five Keywords for a Sound Material-Cycle Society

Incentives

Technology Development

Incentives for the promotion of the 3Rs can be classified into economic and social types. In addition, setting up ofpriority areas to facilitate the clustering of 3R-related businesses and providing business know-how are useful forthe promotion of the 3Rs. In Japan, the Eco-Community project scheme, in which projects with excellent ideas andcreativity act as model projects are invited to be implemented as demonstration projects, and the Eco-Town projectscheme, aimed at creating towns which are in harmony with the environment, are promoted as part of the efforts tocreate a sound material-cycle society. Moreover, proper enforcement of regulations relating to the 3Rs and waste
management can greatly help efforts to achieve the 3Rs by ensuring a level playing field for 3R-related businesses.
Economic Incentives

Social Incentives

The promotion of science and technology suitable for the 3Rs has substantial potential to bring about sustainableproduction and consumption patterns. The promotion of research on a system which enables a material cycle atthe local level, research to establish and evaluate the material flows, the development of clean technologies topromote the 3Rs at the production stage and technical development to promote the 3Rs at the design stage willbe essential in the coming years. The provision of information on science and technology for the public and collaboration between universities/research organizations and local governments/communities are important toenable the introduction of science and technology which is rooted in local areas.
Research on identification and evaluation ofregional material flow

Example of technology development for 3R promotion at
the product design stage (Design for 3Rs)

Explanatory meeting on food waste collection and composting at shopping streets (Eco-Community project).Preferential taxation.Low interest loans.Subsidies.Debt guarantee

parts made from recyclable polypropylene
reusable parts
bumper made from polypropylene which is reusableas parts or recyclable as resinous material
parts made from recyclable thermoplastic resin

Green purchasing awards ceremony

Refining bio-diesel fuel from usedcooking oil through cooperation
between the local government andcitizens (Kyoto-City)

PartnershipAll stakeholders, including central government, local
governments, private sector, communities andNGOs, are required to make efforts on their own initiative while being fully aware of their expectedroles. A partnership approach with the cooperationof stakeholders is important. Cooperation between
the private sector and the public sector will be particularly crucial in the coming years. Local governments are expected to not only initiate their own
actions under the auspices of leadership by local
administrative chief but also to play a coordinatingrole for the linkage among stakeholders.

Citizens collect used cooking oil.

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In city of Kyoto, waste cooking oil collected from households is refined as bio-diesel fuel which is usedby waste collection trucks and municipal buses. At present, approximately 120,000 litres of waste cooking oil are collected every year at approximately 800 collection points throughout the city.

The government of city of Kyoto refines the collected cooking oil to bio diesel and uses it as fuelfor waste collection trucks.

Scholars and relevant business entities provide
technical support for bio diesel.

26International Cooperation for Promoting Establishment of a Sound Material-Cycle SocietyInternational Cooperation for Promoting a Sound Material-Cycle Society
In many countries, economic growth and the progress of urbanization have resulted in an increased volume and diversification of wastes. With the further development of various means of transportation and volume conclusion of free
trade agreements, it is anticipated that the transboundary movement of goods and services will continue to increase. It
is necessary to further promote international cooperation regarding improved awareness of the 3Rs approaches and toaccelerate the establishment of businesses to recycle resources in addition to develop schemes to implement policies
and measures to realize the 3Rs and 3R-related technologies, systems and facilities. A regional approach should prove
to be highly effective for this purpose.

Promoting 3Rs in Asia and in the World

Global Cooperation
The Ministry of the Environment, other relevant ministries, Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA), related organizations, local governments
and universities are working together to provide
training courses for staff members of the central andlocal governments and others from developing
countries on various issues, including the volume
reduction, recycling and environmentally-soundmanagement of waste.

Promotion of Policy Dialogues in Asia

Major Premise: Prevention ofEnvironmental Pollution Accompanied byTransboundary Movements of Wastes
ECO Asia(Environment Congress for Asia and Pacific)

Enhancement of policyplanning capacity of government staff

Formulation of regional
vision for a sound materialcycle society

Promotion of research andaccumulation of knowledge

Formulation of a national
plan on promotion of asound material-cycle society

Facility development

Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting
among China, Japan, and Korea

Exchange of policy planners, creating opportunities
for policy dialogues on aregional basis

Asian Network for Prevention of Illegal
Transboundary Movement of Hazardous
WastesInternational Green Purchasing Network

Human resource development in science and technology/research
Promotion of science andtechnology

Preparation of legal framework and plans for establishment of a sound material-cycle society

Creating opportunities forcooperation among stakeholders coordinated by governments

Setting up, following-up andreviewing quantitative targets

Creating opportunities forawareness-raising27

In 1996, the Green Purchasing Network (GPN) was formed in Japan with the participation of businesses, administration and consumer organizations to facilitate efforts forgreen purchasing. The activities of the GPN include the promotion of green purchasing, the introduction and commendation of good practices, the formulation of purchasing guidelines and the development of a database on environmentally-sound products.
The Sendai Declaration on Green Purchasing which was announced at the 1st International Conference on
Green Purchasing, held in Sendai in October, 2004, calls for the establishment of the International Green
Purchasing Network (IGPN) to extend these efforts worldwide. In the coming years, the IGPN is expected to
publicize the latest information and efforts regarding green purchasing in the world through its website and email, to hold regular global conferences as well as regional workshops in Asia and other regions and to develop green purchasing guidelines which can be commonly used throughout the world.

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Spirit for Promotion of the 3Rs: “mottainai”
The Japanese have an expression, “mottainai,”
which means it is a shame for something to go
to waste without having made use of its potential in full. This expression incorporates arespect for the environment that has been handed down from ages past. Based on this perspective, the Japanese people have aimed to lead
their lives seeking simple but refined beauty,
preferring tasteful quality over volume.

Courtesy of CABINET PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE

Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi shaking hands with
Kenyan Deputy Environment Minister Maathai, the 2004
Nobel Peace Prize winner, who proposed global promotionof “mottainai” (February 2005)

The concept of “mottainai” has been passed on to children
through picture books and the like. (by Mariko Shinju,
Mottainai Ba-san (Grandmother), Kodansya Ltd, 2004)

One example is a square cloth called “furoshiki” which isused to wrap and carry goods. Furoshiki has no preference
for the shape of an object which can be soft clothing, a rectangular box or a long narrow bottle. Furoshiki can be folded
into a small size for ease of carrying when not in use and canbe used repeatedly. In a way, furoshiki is the culmination of
the wisdom and sense of beauty nurtured by the Japanesepeople throughout their history.

Acknowledgement
The Ministry of the Environment would like to thank the following experts for their contribution to this material.
Yasushi Matsufuji,Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Fukuoka University
Kunitoshi Sakurai,
President of Okinawa University
Minoru Sawachi,
Director General for Environmental Management Bureau, Osaka City
Mariko Shinju,
Picture Book Author
Hiroshi Takatsuki,
Professor of Environment Preservation Center, Kyoto University
Masaru Tanaka,
Professor, Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Okayama University
Hitoshi Terashima,
Director of Engineering Division, Japan Waste Management Association
Isamu Yokota,
Professor, Lab. of Environmental Policy, Grad. School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences,
University of Shizuoka
Alphabetical order, Titles and institutions as of March 2005
Photo Credit and Data Source
Aizuwakamatsu City Arai Total Institution Co., Ltd. ASAHI GLASS CO., LTD. Association for Electric Home
Appliances Atsugi nakachou main street shopping mall promotion association Bureau of Environment, Tokyo Metropolitan
Government CABINET PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE Chubu Recycle Citizen’s Action Group for Waste Reduction
Environment Bureau, City of Fukuoka Cooperative Network for Distribution of Returnable Bottles
The Council for PET Bottle Recycling DAIKAN Co., Ltd. Earth Life Network Eco Wakayama Co., Ltd.
Environment Bureau, City of Kawasaki Environment Bureau, City of Kitakyusyu Environment Bureau, City of Kyoto
Environmental Affairs Bureau, City of Sapporo Faculty of Engineering, Fukuoka University FUJITSU LIMITEDThe Furoshiki Kenkyu Kai (The Furoshiki Study Group) GLASS INDUSTRY CONFERENCE OF JAPAN
GomiZero Partnership Conference Green Purchasing Network, Japan Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions, Corp.
CHIHARA ECOCEMENT CORPORATION Japan Environment Association Japan Waste Management Association
JICA Kanazawa City, Recycling Promotion Section Kanazawa Ecolifekobo Katsumura Construction Co., Ltd.
Kirin Beverage Corporation Kitakyusyu ELV Co-operative Society Kodansha Ltd. Kojo Elementary School
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Panasonic Center The Minamata City Environmental Clean Center
Nakao Daisuke/SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO National Institute for Environmental Studies
Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc. Nishibata Elementary School Nishinihon Kaden Recycle Corporation
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. ODAKYU Electric Railway Co., Ltd. Osaka City Environmental Management Bureau
PC 3R Promotion Center Saijo City Seiko Instruments Inc. The Seibu Department Stores, Ltd.
Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. Telecommunications Carriers Association
Teshima Island Citizen’s Society Demanding for Recovery from Illegal Dumping of Industrial Waste

Recycling Activity

Isn’t turning off at the main water valve a fast-way?

WAYS TO TIE A “FUROSHIKI”

The origin of furoshiki is said to date as far back as the Nara
Period (8th Century) although the name “furoshiki” began to be
used in the early Edo Period (early 1600’s).

There must be many manifestations of the wisdom of generating as little waste as possible or of
repeatedly using things with care in the world. The collaboration of the world’s people while
offering their own wisdom will prove to be a major support for the creation of a sound materialcycle society on a global scale.

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wine,etc. (2 long bottles)

round objects (watermelons,soccer balles)