December 1, 2023
(press release)
–
The Mitsubishi Chemical Group (the MCG Group) is pleased to announce that paper cups made with its bio-based and compostable polymer BioPBS™ have been adopted by FOOD AGRI NEXT LAB Co., Ltd. (FANLAB). FANLAB is a local trading company that seeks to develop a recycling system in the Yatsugatake area, Japan. The 100,000 paper cups will be used when providing meals during “N=Yatsugatake Experiential Sustainable Program,” a children’s educational program operated by FANLAB. The used cups will becomposted, together with food residue and collectedfallen leaves, at a compost facility. This program also plans to provide the harvested vegetables grown from this compost. On November 20, 2023, an event was held at the Fujimi Panorama Resort in the Suwa region of Nagano prefecture to promote the “N=Yatsugatake Experiential Sustainable Program”. Participants experienced making compost by gathering fallen leaves and used paper cups made with BioPBS™. On a brisk, sunny day in autumn, local high school students and other participants thought about how they could recycle and effectively use resources that are common in daily life, such as paper cups. As a specialty materials group dedicated to offering innovative solutions, the MCG Group is committed to delivering high-value-added products like BioPBS™ to drive the realization of a sustainable society. Reference This local trading company seeks to establish an environmentally advanced recycling community in the Yatsugatake area by developing businesses that connect cities with the local communities and create continuous interactions between them. In 2020, the MCG Group jointly started a project in the Yatsugatake area to develop a recycling system based on the use of BioPBS™.
●About BioPBS™
BioPBS™ is a bio-based compostable polymer developed by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, which owns the basic patent, and manufactured by PTT MCC Biochem Company Limited, which is a fifty-fifty joint venture of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited in Thailand. The polymer is decomposed into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms found in nature. In addition, compared to other compostable polymers, it shows excellent performance such as low-temperature heat sealability and flexibility.
●FOOD AGRI NEXT LAB Co., Ltd.
Location: 1743 Nishiide, Oizumi-cho, Hokuto-shi, Yamanashi-ken, Japan
Representative: Akira Yagihashi
Established: 2017
Website (Japanese): https://foodagrinextlab.jp/
Press release dated October 25, 2021
Mitsubishi Chemical’s “Compostable polymer BioPBS™and the development of a recycling-oriented society using local resources” received the award of excellence at the ninth Platinum Award (Japanese)
https://www.m-chemical.co.jp/news/2021/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2021/10/25/20211025biopbsplatinumvisionaward.pdf
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