Establishment of separation and supply system for collected plastics in cooperation with local governments
Principal Organization
AMITA Holdings Co., Ltd.
Collaborating Organization
AMITA CORPORATION, AMITA CIRCULAR CORPORATION
Research and Development Overview
The objective of this research and development project is to collaborate with local governments to develop a plastic sorting and supply system and establish an "X to Car" model for supplying high-quality recycled materials for automobiles. The specific goals are as follows:
- Material Recycling Rate:
Achieve a 50% material recycling rate in the target region of the model site by FY2027. - Material Recycling Volume:
Reach 10 tons per year of recycled plastic at the model site by FY2027. - Resource Quality Verification:
Establish target values with material manufacturers and verify the physical properties of test products, including MFR (Melt Flow Rate), melt viscosity, tensile properties (yield stress, elongation between chucks, modulus of elasticity), bending properties (bending strength, modulus of elasticity), and b-ESCR (bottle Environmental Stress Crack Resistance). - Enhancing Plastic Product Recyclability.
- Hypothesis Testing and Generalization:
Conduct hypothesis testing and verification to encourage mindset and behavioral changes in consumers regarding recycling.
For goals 1 and 2, the project collaborates with municipalities through resource recovery stations and in-store collection boxes, with sorting centers handling aggregation and digitization. Polypropylene (PP) is the target material.
Goals 4 and 5 focus on designing easily recyclable products and influencing consumer behavior toward recycling.
FY2026 Plan
- (1) Expansion of Resource Recovery Stations
- Continued expansion of resource recovery stations in already-implemented areas such as Kobe City and Buzen City.
- Start of deployment of resource recovery stations in Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture.
- (2) Standardization of In-Store Collection Model
- Systematize the know-how of the in-store collection model and develop a model for resource collection schemes.
- (3) Establishing the Framework for Site-Based Collection
- Collaborate with J-CEP within the Circular Economy Task Force of the Eco-System Society Organization, executing activities through the Local Government/Policy WG, Collected Resources WG, and Consumer Engagement WG.
- (4) Customer Journey Map Application
- Conduct prototyping based on customer journey maps and carry out demonstration experiments in municipalities.
- (5) Social Impact Evaluation
- Visualize the social impact generated by resource collection sites and propose effective communication of implementation benefits.
- (6) Collaboration with the Inclusive Community Platform (Task A1)
- Collaborate at a specific field site to build a scheme for visualizing resident behavioral mechanisms using data and supporting policy formulation.
- (7) Recycled Material Preparation for Adaptability Mapping
- Support target material collection and component-related initiatives, expand supply volumes alongside site expansion, and consider/verify cost reduction measures for supply.
- (8) Organizing Japan's Challenges and Action Plan
- Based on results from collection demonstrations to date, exchange opinions and provide recommendations to relevant ministries and industry associations regarding regulations and system visions for social implementation.