PET bottle recycling progresses towards 2030 Goals with 98.6% utilisation

In the fiscal year 2023, the lightweighting rate of designated PET bottles reached 28.4%, with a recycling rate of 85.0%, according to the Plastic Waste Management Institute. On December 24, the Japan Plastics Circulation Utilisation Association outlined the highlights of the “2024 PET Bottle Recycling Annual Report,” released by the institute in November 2024. Compared to the base year of fiscal 2004, the reduction in PET bottle weight resulted in a saving of 237,000 tonnes.

The report revealed a 0.7 percentage point increase in the lightweighting rate from the previous year, highlighting advancements in moulding and filling technologies. Among 17 major applications and container sizes, lightweighting improvements ranged from 2% to 41% compared to 2004. Some beverage and liquor containers have already achieved their 2025 lightweighting targets ahead of schedule, with progress continuing for other container types.

While the shipment volume of PET bottles has been on the rise, the effects of lightweighting have curtailed increases in bottle weight and CO₂ emissions. In fiscal 2023, 26.7 billion bottles were shipped, a 1.81-fold increase from the base year, but total bottle weight increased only 1.23-fold to 595,000 tonnes, and CO₂ emissions rose just 1.10-fold to 2.3 million tonnes.

The recycling rate for fiscal 2023 reached 85.0%, surpassing the 2025 target of maintaining a rate above 85%, and reaffirming Japan’s position as a global leader in recycling rates. The report also examined the domestic use of recycled PET resin. Of the 392,000 tonnes surveyed, the majority was used for bottle-to-bottle recycling, sheet production, and fibre applications, with 215,000 tonnes allocated for bottle-to-bottle recycling.

Regarding PET bottle reuse, the report concluded that safety and environmental impact concerns continue to pose challenges. The Plastic Waste Management Institute has set a goal of achieving 100% effective utilisation of PET bottles by fiscal 2030. In fiscal 2023, the effective utilisation rate, including recycling and thermal recovery, stood at 98.6%.

The report also evaluated the environmental impact reduction achieved through recycling. PET bottles with recycling and reuse processes generated 1.77 million tonnes of total CO₂ emissions, representing a 45% reduction compared to scenarios without recycling or reuse.

The Plastic Waste Management Institute is actively implementing the 2025 Action Plan for the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), striving to realise sustainable PET bottle circulation.

Originally published on Circular Economy Hub.