Japan's plastic packaging market has been consuming more bio-polypropylene (bio-PP), as part of the northeast Asian country's attempts to meet its sustainability goals.
Chemicals producer LyondellBasell (LYB) has announced the partial incorporation of its bio-based PP in Japanese cosmetic company Shiseido's packaging, in collaboration with manufacturer Futamura Chemical and trading firm Iwatani, according to a press release on 1 September.
LYB began commercial production of bio-PP and bio-polyethylene (PE) in 2021, produced with measurable and certified C14 renewable content from renewable feedstock. The renewable feedstock bio-naphtha is supplied by Finnish refiner Neste and is derived from bio-based waste and residues, such as used cooking oils, according to LYB.
More bio-PP has been integrated into plastic packaging in recent years, particularly in Japan, likely motivated by the country's 2030 and 2050 environmental goals. Japan aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 46pc by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050, according to a government release. As part of this, Japan has formulated a basic plan to introduce approximately 2mn t/yr of bio-PP plastic products by 2030, Japanese trading firm Itochu said.
Itochu, owner of second-largest domestic convenience store chain FamilyMart, has been using bio-PP food containers since June 2021. The firm procures bio-PP from Abu Dhabi-based petrochemicals producer Borouge and Austrian-based plastics producer Borealis. But details regarding volumes and prices are unclear.
Japanese petrochemical firm Mitsui Chemicals has also co-operated with its subsidiary Prime Polymer and Neste on the use of bio-based raw materials to produce packaging material for Japanese CO-OP seaweed snacks in 2023. CO-OP is a brand of the Japanese Consumers Co-operative Union (JCCU).
In other parts of northeast Asia, Chinese state-controlled refiner Sinopec's bio-PP has also recently entered the cosmetics packaging market. Its first bulk order concluded last month, according to a press release on 13 August.
To count as a bio-based and circular product, firms are required to obtain the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus, an independent third-party certification which confirms the use of renewable materials and its traceability throughout the supply chain, from the raw materials to the finished product.
