The agreement aims to establish a unified framework in which supply chain stakeholders—including converters, brand owners, and recyclers—can assess and compare recyclability based on shared national standards. By creating this common foundation, both companies seek to accelerate the circular use of flexible packaging and contribute to the realization of a circular economy.
In recent years, the importance of reusing post-consumer plastics as resources has grown significantly due to fluctuations in resource prices and rising geopolitical risks. The Japanese government has positioned the circular economy as a key growth strategy. In the packaging sector, there is increasing demand for promoting product designs that are easier to recycle and for expanding the use of high-quality recycled plastics.
Flexible packaging offers advantages in terms of weight and functionality; however, because it is composed of multiple materials such as films, printing inks, and lamination adhesives, de-inking and de-adhesion processes are critical for high-quality material recycling. Previously, these assessments in Japan were conducted using proprietary test conditions and standards, making it difficult to compare results across different companies or materials. This lack of standardization has hindered recyclability evaluation during the design phase and impeded information sharing throughout the local supply chain.
The agreement is described as breaking competitive boundaries to meet Japan’s unique recycling infrastructure needs. By pooling expertise in printing inks, lamination adhesives, and recycling technologies, the companies have established a standard comprising three core elements:
- Test program:Clarify equipment, test conditions, material handling, and operational procedures to improve reproducibility in the Japanese testing environment.
- Evaluation criteria:Establish objective criteria to evaluate de-inking/de-adhesion efficiency and the quality of recycled plastics.
- Report format:Standardize test conditions and results into a unified format to facilitate information exchange among domestic stakeholders.
Adopting this protocol will bring significant benefits to Japan’s supply chain. For converters, it simplifies printing and processing conditions as well as the selection of materials that prioritize recyclability. Brand owners have the opportunity to select highly recyclable packaging materials based on objective and reliable data. Finally, recyclers can set appropriate processing conditions according to material characteristics, thereby improving the quality of recycled plastics.
