Study of Non-food Biomass Plastic Production from Pulp in Japan

Sojitz Pla-net Corporation, a Sojitz subsidiary, will begin development of biomass plastics (polylactic acid and polyethylene) together with Oji Holdings Corporation, a project subsidized by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment to reduce CO2 emissions as part of its efforts to build a system to support recyclable plastics. The project’s demonstration period has been scheduled to run from November 2019 to March 2022.

Moving forward, Oji Holdings plans to conduct production of biomass plastics (polylactic acid and polyethylene) made from pulp derived from trees.

Sojitz Pla-net plans to confirm the usability and recyclability of existing biomass plastics , and to conduct LCA analysis and marketing promotion.

By replacing conventional petroleum-based plastics with biomass plastics made from sustainable resources, we aim to reduce CO2 emissions into the global environment to prevent global warming. Ordinary biomass plastics are mainly produced from edible raw materials such as sugar cane and corn. This project will demonstrate the production of polylactic acid and polyethylene from inedible pulp derived from trees in order to popularize non-food biomass plastics that do not compete with food resources.