News

2023/7/10

Test of Composting System with Okinawa City

The Mitsubishi Chemical Group (the MCG Group) hereby announces that it will conduct verification testing of the composting system based on a paper cup containing its plant-derived compostable polymer BioPBS™ in collaboration with Okinawa City.

Okinawa City is the host city of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, which will be held from August 25, 2023. To promote the World Cup, Okinawa City produced forty thousand paper cups with its own design, coated with BioPBS™ to impart water resistance. The cups were distributed at the home game of the Ryukyu Golden Kings, a B.League professional basketball team, on March 15, 2023, and will be provided to offer drinks at various events held in Okinawa City and other locations.

During the trial in March, used paper cups were collected and transported by Ryukyu Kanri Sangyo Company Limited and mixed with cattle dung for composting at the on-campus composting facility of the University of the Ryukyus by Kyowa Kako Co., Ltd. and the University. The compost will be used for the preparation of flower beds in Okinawa City and other purposes. Through this initiative, the MCG Group is planning to test the city’s composting system. Okinawa City and Ryukyu Kanri Sangyo will take a central role in offering visiting classes at elementary schools in the city.

As a specialty materials provider, the MCG Group will continue to offer high value-added products like BioPBS™ and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.

Reference: BioPBS™
BioPBS™ is a plant-derived compostable polymer developed by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, which owns the basic patent, and manufactured by PTT MCC Biochem Company Limited, which is a fifty-fifty joint venture of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited in Thailand. The polymer has a low impact on the natural environment, as it is decomposed into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms found in nature. In addition, compared to other compostable polymers, it shows excellent performance such as low-temperature heat sealability and flexibility.

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