In the weekly column we take turns writing about innovation and economic trends in Asia.
(Photo: Klawe Rzeczy)
Tokyo When Japan develops robots to solve a problem, the country means business. The current problem is the fight against plastic waste. The University of Nagasaki has developed a submarine system that can semi-autonomously locate plastic in the sea.
A small, autonomous ship brings a remote-controlled underwater robot to the target area, which researchers use to detect undersea garbage dumps. In the future, they even want to collect and recycle the plastic fully automatically.
The project is part of the Japanese government’s strategy to tackle the country’s plastic problem. Each Japanese uses an average of 37 kilograms of disposable packaging per year – twice as much as the average German.
By 2030, the consumption of plastic in Japan should therefore fall by 25 percent. In addition, the government wants to rid the country of plastic waste as far as possible by then – if possible without deposit systems and high bag taxes, but through innovations.
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They are urgently needed: two-thirds of Japanese plastic waste is “thermally” recycled – i.e. burned. The high recycling rate of 85 percent doesn’t help either, especially because Japan still has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to waste avoidance.
The high recycling rate cannot compete with the higher consumption
What is now referred to as “packaging terror” in Germany is completely normal in Japan: biscuits are first packed individually in many small plastic sleeves and then in a larger box to keep them fresh. Shrink-wrapped meat is packed in another plastic bag at the checkout without being asked – in case the packaging isn’t tight after all.
So far, change has been slow, and the legislator is trying to speed it up without putting too much pressure on it. The government has now introduced a fee for shopping bags. But at the equivalent of 1.5 to four euro cents, it’s more of a reminder of your own shopping bag than a financial incentive. There are also no reusable bottles and deposit systems like in Germany.
Sorting of packaging waste (symbol image),
(Photo: picture alliance/dpa)
Nevertheless, Japan has a recycling rate of 85 percent and is in second place in the plastic management index of the British magazine “The Economist” and the Japan Foundation, just behind Germany. The waste system lures with convenience instead of a high deposit.
The Japanese can dispose of PET bottles and beverage cans at every vending machine and in every supermarket. The rubbish is picked up neatly separately from the front door once or twice a week.
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Here, social pressure helps to keep the recycling rate high: transparent rubbish bags are picked up at collection points in front of the houses. Everyone can see whether recycling has been done properly or not – the neighborhood checks with them. Plastic bags from the supermarket find a second life here as rubbish bags for bottles, cans and household rubbish.
With innovation to less plastic waste
But the Japanese government is now also increasing the pressure to innovate, the solution to the plastic problem must be faster. A new recycling law from last year provides incentives for companies to think about simple plastic recycling when designing their products. In addition, large retailers and hotel chains will be obliged to only offer plastic products that consist of 60 percent recycled or biodegradable materials from 2030 onwards.
The plan to solve the plastic problem through the innovative power of companies is already bringing initial successes: This year, Mitsubishi Pencil not only launched a thinner-walled ballpoint pen refill that uses significantly less plastic and holds 70 percent more ink. The company is currently also developing refills made of paper.
The technology group Casio also presented its first outdoor watch this week, the plastic parts of which were made from biomass.
In the Asia Techonomics column, Nicole Bastian, Dana Heide, Martin Kölling, Mathias Peer and Sabine Gusbeth take turns writing about innovation and economic trends in the world’s most dynamic region.
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