Chisato ShizumeR Plus Japan, Ltd. is a new joint venture company launched by 12 cross-industry partners that aims to achieve a sustainable society by solving plastic waste issues. Member partners are within the plastics supply chain in Japan: Toyo Seikan Group Holdings Ltd., TOYOBO Co. Ltd., Suntory MONOZUKURI Expert Ltd., Rengo Co. Ltd., J&T Recycling Corporation, Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., Iwatani Corporation, Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd., Toppan Printing Co. Ltd., Fuji Seal International Inc., Hokkaican Co. Ltd., and Yoshino Kogyosho Co. Ltd.
R Plus Japan has already started operating in June, but is seeking for more investors, and Sumitomo Chemical Company Ltd. is reportedly disserting investment in the near future.
Since its founding, Toyo Seikan Group Holdings Ltd., one of the 12 members, has worked to create new values and to seek a way for building a sustainable society. In 2019, the company announced its mid-term environmental goals called ‘Eco Action Plan 2030,’ which aims to achieve a circular economy by: (1) 30% reduction of exhaustible resources use; (2) 40% reduction of fossil resources use to manufacture plastic products; (3) converting plastic container and packaging to recyclable or reusable products. Joining R Plus Japan to invest in the development of innovative recycling technology for plastics waste will accelerate its effort in realizing a sustainable society.
R Plus Japan will provide financial backing for Anellotech, a company based in the US which is developing chemical recycling technology called ‘Plas-TCATTM.’ It’s a cutting-edge technology which will efficiently convert single-use plastics into basic chemicals like benzene, toluene, xylenes, ethylene and propylene directly, that are then used to produce new plastics. Unlike the conventional method that requires multiple processes to recycle mixed plastic, the efficiency Plas-TCATTM has will reduce CO2 emissions and also restrain energy consumption. The technology is expected to recycle used plastic efficiently and enable the continuous use of resources in various industries.
Japan generates more than 9.4 million tons of plastic waste each year, and much of these plastic waste aside from plastic bottles are said to be incinerated after use. But efficient and economic recycling technology for used plastics has been much awaited not only in Japan; plastics waste has been causing innumerable environmental issues worldwide. Marine debris that impacts wildlife, microplastics problem, shortage of waste landfill sites, and depletion of natural resources to name a few. Plas-TCATTM can contribute to tackling these issues by enabling the production of basic chemicals from mixed plastics waste, consecutively reducing the generation of plastic waste.
R Plus Japan will work together with Anellotech to advance the development of the innovative technology that is practical and effective to recycle used plastics. The company will also collaborate with various industries in the supply chain to find a solution to solve the plastics waste issue which is one of the most pressing global problems today. This new technology is expected to be commercialized by 2027, which could become a breakthrough in tackling plastics waste issues around the world.
