Kewpie and Ajinomoto expand mayonnaise bottle recycling scheme in Kawasaki

Food manufacturers Kewpie and Ajinomoto will broaden their joint pilot to collect and recycle used mayonnaise bottles after a successful year of trial. From 1 July 2025, the programme will grow from one to three supermarkets across Kawasaki.

The programme seeks to create a circular system for plastic food packaging and curb marine plastic waste. Even though the two brands are sometimes viewed as rivals, this collaboration shows their commitment to the greater push for a circular economy.

The pilot launched on 1 July 2024 at an Ito-Yokado store in Mizunokuchi, Kawasaki, where a giant mayonnaise-bottle collection box was installed at the recycling station to test shopper participation.

Results from the trial encouraged the expansion of the programme. About 90 percent of deposits were mayonnaise bottles, and roughly 99 percent of those came back clean. This is a crucial requirement for material recycling. Collection numbers continued to grow, with bottles gathered in April 2025 reaching 2.6 times the first month’s tally.

The trial also provided hints to consumer behaviour. The eye-catching box was effective at steering shoppers to the right items, and outreach helped dispel the belief that cleaning oily bottles is too much trouble. Even so, feedback showed that a single drop-off point deterred some residents.

To make participation easier, the scheme will add the Ito-Yokado Kawasaki store and York Mart Kawasaki Nogawa store on 1 July 2025. Kewpie and Ajinomoto will continue analysing the collected plastic to refine a viable recycling process and build a stronger collection model.