Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry is seeking to introduce mandatory plastic recycled content targets for selected industries.
In a draft interim report published on June 27, the government body proposes amending Japan’s Resource Effective Utilisation Promotion Act of 1991. Under that legislation, manufacturers are not required to use recycled plastics but are encouraged to do so on a voluntary basis.
The draft amendment to the legislation proposes to make use of recycled plastic mandatory, including regular reporting of implementation status.
The document does not specify what percentage of recycled content will be mandated by product or industry. It says that the Ministry will consider the amount of plastic used by each industry, as well as domestic and overseas trends in the supply of recycled plastics when deciding which industries to target and by when.
According to various reports by Japanese media, it is likely that the packaging, electrical and electronic, automotive, and building materials industries will be targeted by the policy.
As for deciding on quantitative targets, the draft policy says the Ministry will consider the industry roadmaps created by Circular Partners, a partnership between government, local government, industry, and academia that aims to accelerate the circular economy in Japan.
The document also says the government plans to create incentives to promote the use of recycled materials, including by setting up government green procurement schemes and by providing ‘various subsidy systems based on global competitiveness’.
The Ministry also plans to introduce a certification system for recycled plastic to address concerns about quality and stable supply. It is considering, for example, designating a certification body.
These amendments to the Resource Effective Utilisation Promotion Act are expected to be discussed in Japan’s 2025 regular National Diet session, where the country’s House of Representatives and Councillors vote on laws.
Japan generated around 8.23 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2022. The country mostly uses its waste for energy recovery. In 2021, 63% of plastic waste was incinerated for energy recovery, 25% was recycled, and the remaining 13% was landfilled or incinerated without energy recovery.