Packaging Sustainability Trends in Japan form the World's Leading Recovery & Recycling Natio

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d60ae0/packaging_sustaina) has announced the addition of the "Packaging Sustainability Trends in Japan – Report form the World’s Leading Recovery & Recycling Natio" report to their offering.

Sustainability now plays a vital role in Japanese society, as consumer awareness of environmental issues and their obligations under Japan’s unique and strict environmental legislation now requires them to sort and separate household waste into no fewer than 12 categories; in the case of a plastic CSD bottle: the cap in one bin, the shrink sleeve label in another, the bottle, once washed, goes to a third bin exclusively for PET – HDPE has its own bin. One local authority requires the separation of household waste into no less than 47 individual dustbins for recycling.

• Consumers, driven by stiff penalties, require easily to separate packaging,

• Brand owners driven by stiff surcharges and taxes on packaging shipments are demanding lighter cheaper containers.

• Package Producers driven by stiff laws, consumer demand and the requirements of their brand owner customers are developing advanced technological solutions.

As a result Japan’s recovery and recycling rates for most packaging materials are the highest in the world.

ABOUT THIS REPORT

This report examines the growth of the sustainable packaging movement, how the changing market in Japan has driven a technological response to the drive to Reuse, Reduce and Recycle, and places it in the context of history, culture, legislation and innovation.

HOW THIS REPORT WAS COMPILED

With unprecedented access to the key figures in Japan’s Sustainable Packaging Movement the author, Stuart Hoggard, conducted face to face interviews, visited packaging R&D facilities at some of Japan’s largest packaging production corporations and, asking the tough questions about the long term financial viability of sustainable packaging

WHY DO I NEED THIS REPORT

• Access a blend of quantitative and qualitative data.

• Understand the most compelling reasoning behind the global packaging sustainability movement.

• Gain a detailed insight into Japanese consumer views on sustainable packaging and the industry response.

• Understand the implications for design when Western consumer awareness of the issues seriously impacts on your business.

• Adapt some of Japanese industry’s out-out-of-the-box solutions to your market.

• Improve your marketing by anticipating the trends towards tighter legislation enabling more effective targeting with on-trend products and relevant communication with the consumer on this crucial topic.

This report is part of a much larger project, 3-reports covering the Japanese industry.

The other two (similarly priced) being:

• Zen and the Technology of Product Packaging - An Illustrated Analysis & Commentary

• Packaging Drivers in Japan

Key Topics Covered:

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Throughout its history Japanese culture has been noted for its frugality – Zen, minimalism and the concept of ‘less is more’ has been part of Japanese society since the Edo period (1603-1867). Cut off from the rest of the world Japan was effectively self-sufficient – with recycling very much a part of daily life. Scrap paper and metal collectors had their own ‘guild-societies’ as did paper reprocesors and metal repair craftsmen.

This report places the current Packaging Sustainability Movement in Japan against an historic background

CULTURAL CONTEXT

This report analyses the important role that packaging plays in Japanese culture. Like most Asian nations Japan is a ‘gift giving’ culture; gestures of appreciation towards elders in the family, seniors and colleagues in the workplace, and neighbours are made by the giving of gifts. In economically hard times the actual gift became smaller while the wrapping became more elaborate - the care and effort which went into the wrapping became the expression of appreciation, not the product it contained.

LEGISLATIVE INSTRUMENTS

The modern era for the Japanese Sustainability Movement began with a suite of Environmental legislation, introduced in stages since 1991.

This report looks in detail at the current legislation supported by statistical data, assesses the impact of these laws on society in general and the packaging sector in particular.

• The Law for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Recyclables, (recycling - 1991),

• Basic Environmental Law (pollution control – 1993),

• Law for Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging (1995),

• Specified Home Appliance Recycling Law (1998)

• Food Recycling Law (2000),

• Construction Material Recycling Law (2000),

• Green Purchasing Law (2000)

• End-of-Life Vehicle Law (2002)

THE SUSTAINABILITY CYCLE

The roles of all the stake holders are examined: the Consumer, Retailer, Brand owner, Packaging Producers/Equipment/Material manufacturers. Industry Associations , NGOs, Municipal Authorities, Waste Collection and Recycling agencies and National Government.

As consumers are required to sort their household waste into ever smaller categories to facilitate the recycling of the widest possible range of packaging materials, space required for land fill is dramatically reduced.

Industry groups have agreed on measures which go beyond legislation – by general industry agreement the use of coloured PET in soft drinks is banned, since colourants contaminate the recycling batch.

TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE

A combination of factors above has led to a response from the packaging supply chain that is both innovative and practical.

This section of the report examines more than 20 sustainable packaging innovations introduced in the past four years and traces the motivation, logic and process which have made them market leaders.

Some examples:

• A bottle blow-molding machine manufacturer develops a 1L bottle weighing less than 50% of conventional CSD bottles.
• A packaging producer develops a composite high barrier paper/plastic composite cup for instant noodles that is microwavable and contains a perforated zipper-strip allowing the consumer to separate the plastic from the paper by pulling a tab.
• A corrugated box manufacturer uses CAD/CAM to reduce the weight of an industrial shipping container by more than 30% which also takes 25% less time and effort for the end-user to unpack.

A WIDER CONTEXT: CIRCULAR ECONOMY

This report places Japan’s sustainable packaging movement in the much wider context of a radical vision for a National ‘Circular Economy’. The “Basic Law for Establishing the Recycling-based Society” is the foundation of Japan’s circular economy initiative and is central to a fundamental sea change in the economy currently being implemented. A circular economy is based on the effective use of all resources and views the national economy not in a linear manner of resource utilization but a circular one in which waste from one process becomes the feedstock of another.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d60ae0/packaging_sustaina