Started collaboration with Shoko Chukin Bank for popularization of recycled material "CirculeX"

～国内の資源循環促進を目指し、全国の中小企業と廃プラスチックのマテリアルリサイクルを推進～

TBM Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Nobuyoshi Yamasaki; hereinafter referred to as TBM) has begun collaborating with The Shoko Chukin Bank, Ltd. (Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Masahiro Sekine; hereinafter referred to as Shoko Chukin Bank) to popularize CirculeX, a material made from recycled material such as used plastic and LIMEX*, which contains more than 50% recycled materials.

TBM is working with local governments and private companies to build a material circulation model for collecting and recycling used plastic and LIMEX. By utilizing Shoko Chukin Bank's network, TBM will promote the spread of CirculeX by collecting, recycling, and remanufacturing waste plastic from small and medium-sized enterprises across the country, thereby contributing to domestic material circulation and the achievement of the SDGs. *LIMEX is a composite material with a dispersed inorganic filler system that contains more than 50% inorganic substances such as calcium carbonate. Because its main raw material is limestone, it can contribute to the conservation of resources at high risk of depletion, such as petroleum, water, and forest resources, which are used in the production of alternative products to plastic and paper.

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Background

世界では約63億トンの廃プラスチックが廃棄されており、そのうち 79％は埋め立てられ、もしくは自然環境に流出していると言われています^*1。日本のプラスチックの有効利用率は約86%とされていますが、62％は焼却して発生する熱を発電や給湯に利用する「サーマルリサイクル」で、欧米ではエネルギー回収と呼ばれてリサイクルと認められていません。廃プラスチックをプラスチックのまま原料にして新しい製品をつくる「マテリアルリサイクル」と、ガスや化学原料に替える「ケミカルリサイクル」を合わせた本来のリサイクルの割合は約24%にとどまります^*2。プラスチックのリサイクルが進まない現状を踏まえ、2022 年 4 月に「プラスチックに係る資源循環の促進等に関する法律（以下プラ新法）」施行され、プラスチック使用製品を排出・製造・販売する事業者に対して、それら製品の自主回収と再資源化が求められています。

^*1 Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made^*22020年 プラスチック製品の生産・廃棄・再資源化・処理処分の現状 (一般社団法人プラスチック循環利用協会)

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連携の概要

In March 2021, TBM signed a long-term loan agreement with Shoko Chukin through a capital-based loan to finance the construction of its second plant in Japan, Tagajo plant (Tagajo city, Miyagi Prefecture), as well as the purchase of equipment and working capital for the project. recycled material With the new plastic law coming into effect and the need for domestic waste plastic increasing, TBM and Shoko Chukin are further deepening their relationship and starting a collaboration to promote material circulation in Japan, combining TBM's technology for material development with Shoko Chukin's nationwide network of small and medium enterprises to create CirculeX material that contains more than 50% CirculeX material, and promote the spread of CirculeX in Japan.