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JEPLAN, INC. (Headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa; Representative Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer: Masaki Takao) and Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President: Shigeyuki Kawamura) have jointly established selection criteria for “chemical recycling (CR) decolorization-compatible dyes” to address one of the key challenges in fiber-to-fiber chemical recycling: the high cost of the decolorization process. Through this initiative, the two companies will jointly provide a new option that enables environmentally conscious design from the manufacturing stage of textile products, with recycling assumed from the outset.
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Background and Objectives
As the realization of fiber-to-fiber recycling is increasingly demanded worldwide, discussions in Japan are gaining momentum. In particular, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Industrial Structure Council is advancing deliberations on a roadmap that sets a target of achieving 50,000 tons of fiber-to-fiber recycling by 2030*1.
Chemical recycling (CR) is regarded as a promising approach for enabling fiber-to-fiber recycling; however, the high cost of the decolorization process required to remove dyes has limited the use of recycled fibers (CR materials). This challenge also reflects a lack of environmentally conscious design that considers recycling from the product design stage, and has become a factor hindering the establishment of a circular model across the industry.
Results of Joint Development
The selection criteria for “CR decolorization-compatible dyes” established in this initiative were jointly developed by Nippon Kayaku, which possesses advanced research and development capabilities in the colorant field, and JEPLAN, a leader in chemical recycling (CR) technology for polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Nippon Kayaku provided dyes for verification as well as analytical and evaluation technologies, while JEPLAN identified the characteristics of dyes that can be efficiently decolorized in the CR process and standardized these characteristics into selection criteria. Through this collaboration, the two companies have built a framework for environmentally conscious design that enables the selection of “easy-to-decolorize dyes” from the product design stage. As a result, a significant reduction in decolorization costs in the CR process is expected compared to conventional approaches.
Expectations of the two companies
The two companies believe that the adoption of “CR decolorization-compatible dyes” based on these criteria across the textile industry, including the apparel sector, will promote manufacturing practices founded on environmentally conscious design, while reducing decolorization costs in the CR process after the collection of end-of-life products.
By enabling recycling at an appropriate cost, the market acceptance of CR materials is expected to increase, accelerating the expansion of fiber-to-fiber recycling loops.
JEPLAN and Nippon Kayaku will promote the widespread adoption of dyes selected based on these criteria and contribute to the realization of a circular society and the enhancement of sustainability in the textile industry in Japan and globally.
*1 Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "Toward resource recycling of textile products":
https://www.meti.go.jp/shingikai/sankoshin/seizo_sangyo/textile_industry/pdf/015_04_00.pdf
■ Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. (https://www.nipponkayaku.co.jp/)
Representative: President, Shigeyuki Kawamura
Establishment: June 1916
Main businesses: Manufacture and sale of automotive safety parts, resin materials and dye materials, medical-use pharmaceuticals, etc.
Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. is a chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturer that has been providing products that meet the needs of society for more than 100 years since its establishment in 1916. By integrating and continuously evolving niche yet highly specialized core technologies, the company continues to deliver products, technologies, and services that are essential to society.
The Nippon Kayaku Group operates sales and manufacturing bases globally and is organized into three business domains: “Mobility & Imaging,” which provides automotive safety components and related products; “Fine Chemicals,” which offers epoxy resins for semiconductor applications and other materials; and “Life Science,” which delivers pharmaceutical products including oncology-related medicines. Through these businesses, the Group contributes to solving social challenges and aims to create value that enriches the future.
【The original press release is in Japanese】
【JEPLANプレスリリース】JEPLANと日本化薬、繊維to繊維リサイクルの普及に向けた染料選択基準を共同策定.PDF