最終更新日: 2025年3月26日
LIMEX as paper alternative
LIMEX, which is mainly made of limestone, is a material that can be used as an alternative to paper. Compared to paper, LIMEX can reduce the amount of water used in factories per ton of sheet by approximately 94%. It can be used for various purposes such as packaging, business cards, booklets and table menus.LIMEX Sheet products are as easy to recycle, and there are many recycling cases. LIMEX Sheet products are combustible and can be incinerated, but we are working to recycle them as resources instead of disposing of them as waste.
Amount of water used in factories

(Source) Changes in new water use intensity per ton of paper and paperboard production: Japan Paper Association
(Source) Water usage at the Tohoku LIMEX factory divided by production volume: TBM survey, January 2025
*LIMEX Sheet: Product category with a thickness of 150μm or more
Features as an paper alternative
Save water and forest
The manufacturing process uses almost no water resources and does not use wood pulp, contributing to the conservation of resources that are at high risk of depletion.
Excellent durability and water-proof
Because it is more durable and water resistant than paper, it does not require lamination and is suitable for repeated use such as menus and maps.
High-quality texture and clear printing
It features a matte, high-quality texture and excellent color reproducibility.
Difference from stone paper
LIMEX is a composite material developed (patented) by TBM in Japan as an alternative to plastic and paper. There is a synthetic paper using limestone called Stone Paper developed by a Taiwanese manufacturer, but LIMEX has a different basic patent from Stone Paper.
In addition to extrusion molding used for printed matter and inflation molding used for packaging such as bags, we can also handle a variety of molding methods such as vacuum molding and injection molding as a material to replace plastic products. Stone paper is the name of an intermediate product developed by a Taiwanese manufacturer, and LIMEX is the name of the material, so the positions of the names are different in the manufacturing process.
material name | Intermediate product name | Usage | printed matter (business card) |
vacuum molding (food container) |
Injection molded product (smartphone case) |
inflation (plastic bag) |
Country of manufacture/Country of origin of limestone |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LIMEX | LIMEX Pellet | plastic alternative | × | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | Japan/Vietnam |
LIMEX | LIMEX Sheet | paper alternative | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | × | Japan/Vietnam |
none | stone paper | paper alternative | 〇 | × | × | 〇 | Taiwan/China |