Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Kenichi Ariga; “Sojitz Pla-Net”) has launched a recycling operation that allows plastic waste from logistics centers and manufacturing plants to be reproduced with the same quality as the original plastic product. The recycling technique developed prevents foreign contaminants from being mixed with the plastic, and Sojitz Pla-Net aims to expand this closed recycling initiative to enable resources to be reused without being wasted.

[Recycling operation]

In plastic recycling, it is difficult to reproduce the original products as foreign contaminants cause quality levels to deteriorate. There is also no means of tracking how and where plastic waste is treated, which remains another issue in the recycling process.

Sojitz Pla-Net has partnered with major Japanese plastic film manufacturer Okura Industrial Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Marugame, Kagawa; Operating Officer; President, Representative Director: Susumu Kanda; “Okura”), which possesses advanced plastic manufacturing technology and quality management capabilities. To address some of the challenges with plastic recycling, Sojitz Pla-Net and Okura have developed a manufacturing technique that removes foreign particles from collected plastic waste in order to produce high quality recycled materials.

This manufacturing technique makes it possible for plastic products to be recycled back to the same original product, which allows companies to recycle products and reduce waste while simultaneously enabling better visualization of recycling conditions. Sojitz Pla-Net aims to help companies to achieve their environmental targets through proposals based on its recycling operation.

Specifically, Sojitz Pla-Net and ANA Holdings Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Koji Shibata) partnered together last month to launch a recycling operation for plastic film coverings used for air cargo—the first closed recycling initiative be taken on by a Japanese airline.

[Joint recycling operation with ANA Holdings Inc.]

In Japan, annual plastic waste reaches approximately 8.2 million tons. Efficient use of resources is an issue as only 2 million tons (approximately 24%) of this waste is recycled through means other than incineration with heat recovery.

The Japanese government announced its “Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics” in 2019, which aims to double the volume of plastics reused and promote bioplastics that reduce the environmental burden.

Sojitz Pla-Net estimates that the plastic recycling and bioplastic market will expand to approximately JPY 600 billion. The company will utilize this recycling operation and other recycling technologies as well as expand use of plant-based bioplastics to build a JPY 100 billion recycling and bioplastics business by 2030.

Sojitz Pla-Net will continue to take on initiatives in the recycling business to contribute to a decarbonized and sustainable society.

[Related Information]

Company Overview – Okura Industrial Co., Ltd.

Established	1947
Head Office	1515 Nakazu-cho, Marugame, Kagawa
Representative Director	Susumu Kanda Operating Officer; President, Representative Director
Main Business	Manufacture and sale of all types of polyethylene and polypropylene products, optical functional films, and particle board, engineered wood boards, plywood, and other engineered wood products
Website	https://www.okr-ind.co.jp/en/

[Related Topics]
“Sojitz Pla-Net and ANA Group launch recycling operation to reduce the disposal of plastic waste.”
Sojitz Corp. Topics, 29 Sep 2022.

[For questions, contact:]
Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation　Environment Sustainable Business Office　+81－3－6871－5619