Idemitsu and Suntory collaborate in chemical recycling demonstration test aiming for recycling caps and labels of used PET bottles

Idemitsu Kosan established Chemical Recycle Japan Co., Ltd. in April 2023, aiming to produce CR oil from collected used plastics as an alternative raw material to crude oil.

In recent years, in addition to the promotion of measures against marine plastic waste issues, climate change issues, and strengthening of waste import regulations in various countries, the importance and social needs of further promoting plastic resource circulation have increased, with the enforcement of the Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation Related to Plastics. Idemitsu Kosan has been handling fossil fuels for many years and has been deeply involved in plastic manufacturing. It is precisely because of this that we believe that we should take responsibility for recycling used plastics. Idemitsu Kosan will utilize the knowledge it has cultivated in the manufacture of fuel oil and chemicals to meet social needs with unprecedented, innovative recycling technology that returns plastic to its raw material, petroleum. The initiative to recycling used PET bottle caps and labels is part of Idemitsu Kosan's commitment to implementing diverse resource conservation and circulation solutions, one of its three business domains, as announced in their medium-term business plan.

As a corporation sustained by the gifts of nature and water, and with a purpose to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature, Suntory Group has been committed to achieving a sustainable society since its founding. In 2011, in collaboration with Kyoei Sangyo Co., Ltd., Suntory Holdings established the first horizontal recycling technology in the Japanese beverage industry and has been promoting "bottle-to-bottle" horizontal recycling^*4 through agreements with over 100 municipalities and more than 40 companies. Additionally, Suntory Group is developing bio-based PET bottles using plant-derived materials, aiming to achieve 100% sustainable bottles by using only recycled or bio-based material for all of its PET bottles used globally by 2030 and eliminating the use of virgin petroleum-based materials. As of 2023, more than half^*5 of its soft drink bottles sold in Japan use 100% recycled PET bottles.

Both companies will work toward realizing a carbon-neutral and circular society by further exploring the possibility of recycling caps and labels of PET bottles into packaging and containers.

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*1 Pyrolysis oil produced through technology of Chemical Recycle Japan

*2 Converting used plastics into oil, and producing renewable chemicals and renewable fuel oil, using the CR oil as raw material.

*3 Chemicals and fuel oil produced from CR oil by the recycling of used plastics technology.

*4 Mechanical recycling of used PET bottles to new PET bottles

*5 By quantity

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