The Ministry of the Environment of Japan announced the winners of the PlasMa Award 2026 (not to be confused with the word “plasma”) on 30 January, highlighting innovative efforts to combat the global marine plastic waste crisis. The...
Precious Plastic Waseda, a student-led project at Waseda University, and Karatsu Farm & Food, a Kyushu-based non-profit organisation, launched an online store on 25 January selling handcrafted products made from plastic waste collected along the...
Japan’s convenience stores enjoy a romanticised image from visitors, often a symbol of choice, hygiene and efficiency! Walk into a Japanese convenience store in a business district at lunch time and you’d have a chance to witness the...
Dai-ei Environmental Co., Ltd., Resource Circulation Systems Co., Ltd., Yagikuma Co., Ltd., and Uniadex, Ltd. have launched the “iCEP PLASTICS Total Recycling Coordination Service” to address plastic waste in the construction industry...
Recotech Inc. has announced the expansion of its innovative “pool” business, aimed at creating a sustainable model for plastic resource circulation, starting in the Kanto region. The pool business, which was developed in collaboration...
If you do an internet search for Japan’s plastic recycling rate, you will find an impressive figure of around 85% (as of 2019). Those of us who live here can pat ourselves on the back for the efforts we make in recycling the PET bottles of green tea...
It is said that 30 million tons of plastic waste are currently floating in the oceans, and alarms have been sounding off about the impact on ecosystems. Last December, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center reported that plastic accumulates...
Those familiar with Zenbird will know our stand that carbon and plastics are more nuanced than simply good or bad. But can we live without plastics? Here is a map of how much Japan depended on plastics. Red areas mean 100% dependent on plastic...
Bioplastics are seen as a clean alternative to the utilization of regular plastic. They are typically made from renewable sources such as corn starch, food waste, and vegetable fats and oils. Although this alternative has many pros, it is also...
Back to Blue, a marine environment initiative collaboration between Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation, released the first edition of the Plastic Management Index (PMI) report last Tuesday. The index assesses 25 countries’ ability to...