What is the Japanese alternative to plastic?

Japan, like many other countries, is actively engaged in searching for and developing alternatives to plastic to mitigate its environmental impact. Japan does have a number of alternatives to plastic as a material, and we list some of them here.

Bamboo

The Japanese have a long relationship with bamboo, even dating to a millenia ago. They were/are used from daily items, to housing, to sake barrels. It’s not surprising that the relationship still goes on today because of how fast they grow (high duration to production ratio and the natural aesthetics they bring..

Washi

Washi is Japanese paper, usually made from the fibers of the gampi tree or the mitsumata shrub. You can usually find them used in traditional crafts. While it can be used for sustainable packaging, there are already those using it for fashion. Easily biodegradable, washi is highly attractive as a plastic alternative.

Glass

We can’t go wrong with the classic: glass. The material is highly reusable and can be circulated easily. For example, some beverage brands in Japan still provide drinks in glass bottles, and collect them to remake new bottles. There are even movements to create more value out of a circular economy for glass.

Aside from these, some will purport biodegradable plastics and Polylactic Acid (PLA) Plastics as sustainable alternatives to plastic as a material. But products made from these materials often mislead consumers into thinking they are biodegradable through composting. Special conditions are required for the biodegradation, and as long as there is little effort to correctly educate consumers on special effort needed to dispose of these products, we are wary about calling suggesting these as sustainable alternatives.