Eco Mark proposes standards for Japan’s chemical waste recycling

The Eco Mark, operated by the Japan Environment Association, has announced plans to draft a new certification standard titled “Chemical Recycling Process for Converting Waste into Chemical Raw Materials and Related Products Version 1.” This draft aims to gather public feedback from consumers and businesses. The draft was made available on January 15, with the public comment period running till February 13.

The proposed certification standard, numbered 513, focuses on the chemical recycling process for waste plastics. This method, which involves converting waste plastics into chemical raw materials through processes such as depolymerisation, gasification, and pyrolysis, is gaining attention both domestically and internationally as a key measure to achieve plastic resource circulation and a future carbon-neutral society. The technology underpinning these methods is being actively developed to enable the reuse of waste plastics as raw materials for new plastic production.

To promote a circular society and enhance resource productivity and recycling rates, transitioning away from the current mass production, consumption, and disposal linear economy is crucial. This transition emphasises the efficient and cyclical utilisation of resources to reduce dependence on fossil resources and create value through the reuse of resources and products. Leveraging the carbon atoms in waste plastics is a promising solution in this transition for a circular economy.

The Eco Mark has been certifying plastic products made from material-recycled waste plastics for over 30 years. The new draft certification standard expands its scope to include chemical recycling processes within the chemical industry. These processes transform waste plastics and other materials into chemical raw materials, recognising chemical recycling plants and their related chemical products under the proposed criteria.

Key points of the draft standard include certifying chemical recycling plants and products derived from recycled materials, with 11 mandatory criteria and one advisory consideration. Key requirements include managing waste acceptance, ensuring high chemical conversion rates, assessing life cycle climate impacts, properly managing recycled content, recovering by-products, complying with environmental laws, and communicating environmental efforts to consumers. Products must display recycled content information using a mass balance approach.

The advisory consideration encourages the use of renewable or non-fossil energy sources in the plants applying for certification, though this is not mandatory.

An online briefing session will outline the Eco Mark system, details of the draft certification standard, and the application process. This session is scheduled for January 28.