Japan’s June plastic waste exports rise from May

: Petrochemicals
22/08/10

Japan's June exports of plastic waste, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flakes and other PET waste increased on the month but fell from a year earlier, according to data from the Japan Containers and Packaging Recycling Association.

Japan exported 53,420t of plastic waste in June, up by 14.4pc from May but down by 9.5pc from the same month last year. Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan were the top three export destinations for Japanese plastic waste, accounting for 32pc, 26pc, 18pc of the total June exports respectively.

Around 60pc of Japan's plastic waste comes from polyolefins, primarily polyethylene and polypropylene, according to Japanese petrochemical producer Sumitomo Chemical, citing data from the country's Plastics Waste Management Institute. The firm plans to develop a chemical recycling process technology with fellow Japanese producer Maruzen Petrochemical to produce basic monomers from polyolefins plastic waste.

Japan also exported 11,070t of PET flakes in June, up by 19.2pc from May but down by 17.7pc from June 2021. Its three major export destinations were Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam, which accounted for 55.7pc, 22.5pc and 16pc of the total June exports respectively.

Japan exported 3,306t of other types of PET waste, up by 21.1pc from May but down by 18.6pc from June 2021. Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea were the top three export destinations, accounting for 28.6pc, 16.8pc and 14pc of the total June exports respectively.

By Jorlyne Ong

Japan's June plastic waste exports					t
	Latest month	Month ago	Year ago	Y	M

Plastic waste	Jun-22	May-22	Jun-21	% ±	% ±
Overall	53,420	46,715	59,054	-9.5%	14.4%
Malaysia	17,208	15,496	19,473	-11.6%	11%
Vietnam	14,075	13,019	13,192	6.7%	8.1%
Taiwan	9,410	8,425	10,863	-13.4%	11.7%
PET flakes
Overall	11,070	9,286	13,455	-17.7%	19.2%
Taiwan	6,165	5,086	6,349	-2.9%	21.2%
Malaysia	2,488	2,455	2,110	17.9%	1.3%
Vietnam	1,765	1,259	3,416	-48.3%	40.2%
Other PET waste
Overall	3,306	2,731	4,060	-18.6%	21.1%
Vietnam	947	1,057	1,357	-30.2%	-10.4%
Thailand	555	365	352	57.7%	52.1%
South Korea	466	511	892	-47.8%	-8.8%
Source: The Japan Containers and Packaging Recycling Association

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