BASF Japan and Mitsui Chemicals have initiated a collaborative study to support and promote chemical recycling in Japan. Both companies plan to evaluate the possible business models and available options in scaling up the chemical recycling projects in Japan to address the local challenge of plastic waste recycling.
BASF adopts a key strategy of attaining the Sustainable Development Goal and focuses significantly on recycling projects. BASF is currently promoting the ChemCycling project at its European Verbund sites, in which, BASF works in collaboration with many innovative technology teams and converts post-consumer plastic waste into pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil even serves as a feedstock to produce chemicals. These chemicals are further used to produce new materials such as plastics having the most sensitive applications. BASF Group aims to process 250,000 metric tons of recycled feedstock annually, replacing fossil raw materials from 2025.
Chemical recycling is a key concept in reducing waste, as it mainly focuses on plastic waste that cannot be recycled mechanically. BASF has accumulated the necessary technologies and complete details of chemical recycling. Europe had been offering a commercial platform for recycled products for longer periods.
The Japanese Government launched various steps to attain carbon neutrality one of which is the Green Growth strategy. Mitsui Chemicals, a chemical manufacturer considers climate change and plastic waste as key global challenges and aims at becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. As such, the company plans to develop recycling technologies by expanding its biomass product lineup.
On the other hand, BASF’s strong experience in chemical recycling from its earlier projects in collaboration with the technologies and ethylene crackers of Mitsui Chemicals will be a strong key force for the upcoming project. The companies also plan to collaborate with the local Governments and agencies for the project accomplishment and the successive use of recycled materials in the country.