Environment ministry seeks to boost bioplastic production

he Environment Ministry has decided to strengthen the domestic production system for bioplastics, which have a low environmental impact, to help tackle the global issue of reducing plastic waste.

Demand for bioplastics has been increasing, as major convenience stores have introduced bags containing 30% biomass in line with the introduction of a fee for plastic bags. The ministry will provide subsidies from next fiscal year to companies that build new production facilities, to encourage mass production.

Japan relies on imports for most of the bioplastics used in its market. By enhancing the domestic production and supply of bioplastic, the aim is to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the future and increase the country’s international competitiveness in the environmental field.

Many discarded plastic bags and bottles that had drifted into the ocean have been found in the bodies of whales and fish around the world. Ordinary plastic waste is imperishable and permanently drifts in the ocean. If it is incinerated, it emits large amounts of carbon dioxide, which accelerates global warming.

The Environment Ministry has been providing subsidies to companies and universities to support the development of high- quality bioplastics since last fiscal year, and it decided that it had reached the stage where the ministry would make full-scale efforts to expand the commercialization of the product.

Next fiscal year, the ministry will launch a project to subsidize one-third or one-half of the cost of new production facilities for companies that manufacture bioplastics.

The targets of the subsidies are meant to be facilities that produce bioplastic resin using wood fiber and facilities that produce biodegradable plastic using cellulose, the main component of plant fiber. The ministry’s budget requests for next fiscal year include ¥12.6 billion for this project.

The government has set a target to increase the distribution of plant-based bioplastic products to 2 million tons by 2030, up from 84,000 tons in fiscal 2018. But the bulk of the country’s bioplastic supply is currently imported from abroad. According to the Japan BioPlastics Association, an industry group in Tokyo, imports from the United States, Brazil and other countries accounted for about 90% of last year’s bioplastic distribution in Japan.

The introduction of bioplastics is accelerating, especially in Western countries. Global bioplastic production capacity was 2.11 million tons in 2019 and is expected to increase to 2.42 million tons by 2024.

An official from the Environment Ministry said: “Looking ahead to future global demand, we cannot continue to rely on imports. We want to secure sufficient production facilities in Japan to support the expansion of supply.”