| This is a machine translation. The quality and accuracy of machine translation can vary. JEPLAN does not guarantee the accuracy of the translation and accepts no liability for possible errors. Please refer to the official text in its original Japanese version if there is any doubt. Some content (such as images, videos, files, HTML links and acronyms) may not be translated or may be inaccurate due to the technical limitations of the system. |
JEPLAN, INC. (Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Masaki Takao; hereinafter “JEPLAN”) announces that it has secured funding through a third-party allotment of shares to the GX Acceleration Agency (Chairperson: Yoshinobu Tsutsui). The funding will support the advancement of JEPLAN's PET chemical recycling technologies and processes, accelerating the company's efforts to promote a circular economy and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.
 |
Background
For Japan, which depends heavily on overseas sources for many resources, securing a stable supply of resources and establishing systems to circulate them domestically are important economic security priorities. Against this backdrop, GX Acceleration Agency , which plays a central role in advancing the Japanese government’s Green Transformation (GX) policy, was established as an authorized corporation under the GX Promotion Act. GX Acceleration Agency provides financial support and other services to help mobilize more than JPY 150 trillion in public- and private-sector GX investment over the next decade.
The Japanese government’s “GX 2040 Vision” identifies plastic resource circulation as one of its priority areas. In Japan, however, waste plastics are still predominantly treated through thermal recycling*1 by incineration or cascade recycling*2 . There is therefore a growing need to expand the practical deployment of recycling technologies that enable resources to circulate sustainably. JEPLAN possesses chemical recycling technology*3 for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a widely used plastic. The technology depolymerizes used PET to the molecular level, removes impurities, and recycles it into PET of a quality equivalent to petroleum-derived material. By using domestically collected post-consumer PET as feedstock, JEPLAN also helps reduce the use of new petroleum resources and CO₂ emissions*4, while contributing to a stable supply of resources for the manufacturing sector.
PET is widely used in applications ranging from beverage bottles and textiles to films, while much of the raw materials required for its production are sourced from overseas. As a result, JEPLAN's technology, which enables used PET to be recycled and circulated as a domestic resource while securing a stable supply of feedstock, has been highly valued from the perspective of economic security. In recognition of JEPLAN's contribution to strengthening domestic resource resilience, as well as its efforts to advance the practical implementation of decarbonization and circular economy solutions, the GX Acceleration Agency has decided to invest in the company.
Future Plans and Outlook
Through this investment, JEPLAN will expand the use of waste PET feedstock and further advance its PET chemical recycling technologies and processes. Building on more than a decade of experience operating a commercial-scale PET chemical recycling plant, JEPLAN aims to expand closed-loop recycling beyond PET bottles to a broad range of PET products, including polyester textiles and industrial films. These efforts will strengthen the stable supply of recycled PET, contribute to the development of Japan's industrial base, and support future global expansion. By reducing the use of virgin materials and the incineration of waste PET, JEPLAN will also help lower CO₂ emissions and contribute to the establishment of a circular economy and the realization of a decarbonized society.
Under its mission to “We circulate our world,” the JEPLAN Group will further strengthen collaboration with partners in Japan and overseas and continue advancing initiatives to realize a circular economy.
*1 A recycling method in which waste is incinerated and the resulting heat energy is recovered and utilized. *2 A recycling method that transforms waste materials into products for different applications, often accompanied by a decline in material quality throughout the recycling process. *3 A recycling method in which waste is chemically decomposed into raw materials such as monomers and regenerated into products of equivalent quality. *4 JEPLAN Corporate Website, Sustainability (https://www.jeplan.co.jp/en/sustainability/)
GX Acceleration Agency (https://www.gxa.go.jp/en/)
Chairperson: Yoshinobu Tsutsui
Established: May 2024
Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Principal activities: Financial support, including debt guarantees; collection of fossil-fuel-related surcharges; and administration of the emissions trading system, among others.
Established under the GX Promotion Act, GX Acceleration Agency serves as a driving force for Japan’s Green Transformation, which aims to simultaneously achieve energy security, economic growth, and decarbonization. To help realize more than JPY 150 trillion in public- and private-sector GX investment over the next decade, GX Acceleration Agency provides financial support to private companies and startups pursuing businesses that contribute to GX.
【The original press release is in Japanese】