OSAKA, Japan, June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyobo Co., Ltd.
and 11 other companies forming a plastic value chain have jointly
established a new company called R Plus Japan, Ltd. ("R Plus
Japan", hereafter), which will facilitate the recycling of used
plastics to help solve plastics-associated problems and create a
more sustainable society. R Plus Japan, which started operating in
June, is headed by President Tsunehiko
Yokoi and located in Minato Ward, Tokyo.
The 11 companies are: Suntory MONOZUKURI Expert Ltd.; Rengo Co.,
Ltd.; Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.; J&T Recycling
Corporation; Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.; Iwatani Corporation; Dai
Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.; Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.; Fuji Seal
International, Inc.; Hokkai Can Co., Ltd.; Yoshino Kogyosho Co.,
Ltd. R Plus Japan will continue seeking additional investors, and
companies such as Sumitomo Chemical Company, Ltd. are currently
considering joining.
Toyobo Group has provided many products and technologies to help
solve social problems since its inception, based on its corporate
philosophy "Jun-Ri-Soku-Yu" (Adhering to reason leads to
prosperity) that embodied the spirit advocated by its founder
Eiichi Shibusawa. The group is
determined to create a more sustainable society by developing
products and technologies that reduce society's impact on the
environment. For example, Toyobo has raised the proportion of
recycled resin and plant-derived raw materials in its main plastic
products and manufactured and sold highly functional
bioplastics.
Toyobo has long admired a technology U.S. biochemical venture
company Anellotech, Inc. developed to make raw materials for
polyester from wood. Since 2017, Toyobo has been involved in a
project in which Anellotech, the Suntory Group and other companies
in Japan and elsewhere are
developing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles made entirely
of plant-derived materials. Application of this groundbreaking
technology likely will pave the way for effectively recycling used
plastics and the increased cyclical use of plastics.
Recycling used plastics
In Japan, plastics other than
PET bottles are most reportedly end up being
incinerated*1. The latest technology involves
decomposing PET bottles and other plastic products directly to
basic chemicals, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylene and
propylene. This approach is called chemical
recycling*2.
The technology simplifies the recycling process, compared with
the conventional method that requires a liquefaction process. This
technology is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the
amount of energy required during the process. Widespread use of
this technology could facilitate effective and increased recycling
of used plastics.
*1 Includes thermal
recovery (use of heat energy), in which heat energy generated
during incineration is collected and used for power generation and
heat supply.
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*2 Used plastics are
recycled after compositional conversion via chemical reactions,
instead of recycling them as they are.
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R Plus Japan will promote the research and development of
eco-friendly, effective plastic recycling technology together with
Anellotech. The company aims to commercialize this technology in
2027 to help solve common global challenges associated with used
plastics. This process will include collaboration across
industries, such as with companies that sort collected plastics;
producers of monomers, polymers, packaging films and containers;
trading companies; and beverage makers.
New company outline
Company name: R Plus Japan, Ltd.
Date of commencement of business: June 5,
2020
Headquarters: 2-3-3, Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Tsunehiko Yokoi
(President & CEO)
Business: Expanding development of recycling technology for used
plastics
About Anellotech Inc.
Established in 2008, Anellotech is a biochemical venture firm
headquartered in Pearl River, N.Y.
It has a research and development arm in the same location. It is
developing a technology to make benzene, toluene and xylene with
non-food plants that have the same functionalities as those refined
from petroleum.
For more information:
https://www.toyobo-global.com/news/2020/release_124.html
Toyobo Group's corporate social responsibility (CSR)
activities:
https://www.toyobo-global.com/sustainability/
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SOURCE Toyobo Co., Ltd.