Sojitz Pla-Net and Sun A Kaken Initiate Sales of the World’s First Pharmaceutical Press-Through-Pack Sheets Manufactured with a Polyvinyl Chloride Base Formulated with Biomass Polyethylene – Utilizing Biomass-Derived Plastic to Reduce CO2 Emissions by More than 20% –

Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation (Head Office: Tokyo; President: Kenichi Ariga) and Sun A Kaken Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Tokyo; President: Takeshi Sakurada) have just launched Medi Green® as the world’s first pharmaceutical press-through pack (PTP) sheets which are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based PTP sheets with Biomass PE laminating in the inner layer made from non-edible sugarcane blackstrap molasses. Sugarcane absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere during its growth. The Medi Green® product is therefore expected to reduce CO2 emissions by more 20%*¹ compared to conventional single layer PTP sheets made from fossil-fuel derived PVC.
 

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has announced its Green Growth Strategy for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, which aims to reduce and replace fossil-fuel derived plastics with biomass-derived plastics. The pharmaceutical industry utilizes approximately 14,000 tons*²of PTP sheets for tablet medication annually. One of the industry’s current challenges is to substitute pharmaceutical plastic packaging material with biomass-derived plastics in order　to reduce CO2 emissions.

PTP sheets are most commonly manufactured with PVC and this new Medi Green® product will be the world’s first PTP sheets to be formulated with a PVC based sheet with a biomass based PE layer.*² This revolutionary product will maintain the same high moldability and productivity as conventional PTP sheets while also being eco-friendly.

South America’s largest chemical manufacturer Braskem S.A. (Head Office: Brazil) is the world’s only manufacturer of biomass PE, which is used in this product. Sojitz Corporation is a shareholder of Braskem and Sojitz Pla-Net acts as Braskem’s distributor for the Asian market.

The spread of Medi Green® will promote the transition from fossil-fuel derived plastics to biomass-derived plastics in the pharmaceutical packaging field which will contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions by pharmaceutical companies.

[Role of Each Company]

■Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation
A specialized trading company for plastics, Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation procures raw materials including biomass plastics. The company is engaged in development, marketing, and sales for Medi Green® as well as determining life cycle assessments (LCA).*³
Sojitz Pla-Net will leverage its established global customer networks, sales and procurement networks, and the strengths of its existing business to create new environmental businesses for realizing a decarbonized and recycling-based society that will contribute to the realization of a sustainable world.

■Sun A Kaken Co., Ltd.
Sun A Kaken Co., Ltd. possesses the equipment and technology for the laminating/coating processes used in film sheet manufacturing and will conduct development and manufacture of Medi Green®. The company strives to increase convenience for society by utilizing the latest technology to create packaging materials for fields including pharmaceutical products and foods.

*1: Values calculated based on LCA (See *3). The amount reduced depends on the grade. For further details, please contact Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation.
*2: Research by Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation
*3: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a ISO14040 standardized method for quantitatively evaluating environmental impacts.

[For questions regarding this press release, contact]
Sojitz Pla-Net Corporation Performance Packaging BU Section No.2　+81－6－6455－4660
Product page：https://www.sojitz-planet.com/products/medicine