Japan-based paper pulp trading company Marubeni and its division Marubeni Plax have partnered with Chubu Nihon Plastics to jointly undertake a plastic recycling business.
Image: Marubeni and its partners to promote plastic recycling and expand the conventional 3R to 4R. Photo: Courtesy of Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay.
Under the agreement, Marubeni would also work together with its partners on the ECONET PROJECT, promoted by Chubu Nihon to establish a circular economy.
Marubeni said that the plastic waste-related problem is becoming a global issue, and the agreement signed is aimed at providing solutions for the issue, which is becoming increasingly severe in Japan.
In addition, the company and its partners would jointly promote a plastic recycling business and expand the conventional 3R activities of the ECONET PROJECT to promote ‘4R’, where the additional R stands for ‘Return to the Earth’.
Chubu Nihon collects defective products, called ‘loss products’ or ‘scrap’, from the plastic products production, and return them to raw materials, under the ECONET PROJECT.
In addition, it also conducts eco-consulting to establish a circular economy by handling compostable products and biodegradable materials.
Marubeni and Marubeni Plax are set to use their sales and procurement ability, know-how and experience in sales promotion proposals and their broad network as a sogo shoshato try to establish a circular economy in the plastic industry.
In January 2019, Marubeni has started a containerboard manufacturing and packaging material sales business, named Kraft of Asia Paperboard & Packaging, in BaRia-VungTau Province, Vietnam.
The company said that it has gained overseas containerboard business knowledge, through management and operation experience of its 79.95% owned Koa Kogyo, and 55% owned Fukuyama Paper in Japan.
In addition, making use of its production technology and know-how of Koa Kogyo, and a wide sales network, the company aims to expand its containerboard business in the Vietnamese market.
According to the paper pulp trading company, containerboard demand is continuously increasing across the world as a result of economic expansion and e-commerce trade growth, and particularly in Vietnam at more than 10% annual growth rate, exceeding that of Thailand, and Indonesia.
Marubeni and its consolidated subsidiaries engage in importing and exporting (including third-country trading), as well as domestic business, including a wide range of business activities across wide-ranging fields including food, consumer products, chemical & forest products, power & plants projects, energy & metals, and transportation & industrial machinery.