深刻化する廃プラスチック問題への貢献

start date (planned), etc.

since 2000

description of technology and business model

With the aim of contributing to forming a circular economy through material recycling and reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, Nippon Steel’s steelworks have installed pre-treatment equipment (non-plastic sorter, crusher, volume reduction molding machine, etc.) and an injection machine for a coke oven, and have been recycling waste plastic containers and packaging in a coke oven since 2000.

We recycled 100% of plastic containers and packaging used and collected from households, using a coke oven and a chemical recycling method. Specifically, after thermal decomposition (in the coke oven), 40% is collected as hydrocarbon oil and recycled into plastic products; another 40% is collected as coke oven gas and used as energy at a power plant within a steelworks; and the remaining 20% is coke and used in the ironmaking process.

achievements and targets

Using coke ovens at seven areas of Nippon Steel’s five steelworks, about 200,000 tons of used plastic containers and packaging collected from general households nationwide are recycled 100% without generating residue, in compliance with the Act for Promotion of Use of Recycled Resources. This contributes to reduction of about 600,000 tons of CO2 a year.

We have established a system to receive waste plastics from local governments nationwide and are handling about 200,000 tons per year, equivalent to roughly 30% of waste plastics collected all over Japan. Our method of using coke oven has an extremely high recycling efficiency and a great treatment capacity, contributing to a circular economy in many regions. The cumulative amount processed in FY2000–2019 was approximately 3.28 million tons, equivalent to 10.50 million tons in terms of reduction in CO2 emissions. Recently, we have begun to recycle chemical fibers and food trays mainly into plastic products, under the same recycling method. We intend to work on technology development such as efforts to increase processing capacity*, in order to satisfy growing needs for plastic processing for environmental objectives.

Moreover, our plastic recycling plant in each steelworks is open for visits by the public. The East Nippon Works Kimitsu Area, being located close to the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, welcomed 8,650 visitors in FY2019, contributing to environmental education in the community.

*We stated our agreement with the Challenge Zero declaration, announced by Keidanren in June 2020. Through this, we disclosed this activity with other 10 specific challenges.

URLs that introduce our activities

https://www.nipponsteel.com/en/csr/env/circulation/waste.html

https://www.challenge-zero.jp/jp/casestudy/217