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March 31, 2021
Itochu Corporation's plastic revolution
ITOCHU | ITOCHU Corporation
Making Plastic Products More Eco-Friendly
The ITOCHU Group launched its PET bottle recycling business in 2020. Furthermore, through the development of biomass plastics and collaboration with the FamilyMart convenience store chain, it aims to foster a more circular economy.
Text by WASEDA Kosaku (OPENERS)
FamilyMart to Introduce Recycled PET Containers
The Ministry of the Environment's "Strategic Plan for Plastic Resource Recycling."
This initiative sets targets such as increasing the reuse and recycling rate of containers and packaging to 60% by 2030.
Within the ITOCHU Group, ITOCHU Plastics, which has the packaging materials sector as one of its core businesses, began its PET bottle recycling operations in 2020.
The company has introduced equipment from a European manufacturer that meets the safety standards of the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration), considered among the world's strictest. This equipment is provided on a gratuitous loan basis to a partner company (a PET recycling firm) in Mie Prefecture.
Here, collected PET bottles are crushed, washed in a manner compliant with FDA standards, and regenerated into raw materials.
The recycled PET is then processed into flakes and sheets, which are sold to food container manufacturers as raw materials for food containers. The company aims to sell 9,000 tons annually in fiscal year 2021, increasing to 16,000 tons by fiscal year 2025.
Containers made from recycled PET materials actually recycled by ITOCHU Plastics
Furthermore, discussions are underway with FamilyMart, a convenience store chain within the ITOCHU Group, to expand the use of containers made from recycled PET materials.
FamilyMart has declared in its environmental policy, "Famima eco Vision 2050," its goal to achieve 100% use of environmentally friendly materials for containers and packaging by fiscal year 2050. ITOCHU Corporation is also promoting initiatives for a circular economy in collaboration with FamilyMart.
In response to the growing environmental plastic problem, ITOCHU Plastics has been working to reduce plastic usage by introducing containers with reduced environmental impact for FamilyMart, shifting from full wrap to side shrink packaging, and thinning the raw material film.
Moving forward, the company will leverage its competitive edge, extending beyond that of a specialized trading company, by establishing planning, development, and logistics systems for food packaging in conjunction with convenience stores and food manufacturers, and will promote environmental initiatives with its full strength.
With Borealis, a World-Leading Plastic Resin Manufacturer
Developing Biomass Plastic Business
Japan has established a basic plan to introduce approximately 2 million tons of biomass plastic products by 2030, necessitating a smooth transition to biomass plastics.
Polypropylene, the main raw material for plastics, is characterized by its strength and heat resistance, making it suitable for a wide range of applications including food containers, daily necessities, and automotive parts. However, it has been considered a difficult material to convert to biomass feedstock.
ITOCHU Corporation has reached an agreement with Borealis, one of the world's largest plastic resin manufacturers, and its group company Borouge, regarding the marketing of renewable resource-derived biomass polypropylene in the Japanese market.
Borealis began commercial production of biopolypropylene in March 2020 and has been expanding sales in Europe and globally. This agreement marks the first such initiative in Asia.
Through this agreement, ITOCHU Corporation is making a full-scale entry into the biomass plastic business derived from renewable resources.
Moving forward, the company plans to promote the development of its biomass plastic business globally, particularly in the Japanese and Asian markets. Product applications are anticipated in diverse fields such as food containers and packaging, daily goods, cosmetic containers, home appliances, and automotive parts.
