The second SB Japan Forum of fiscal 2026 was held in Tokyo on 15 September. With resource circularity through business and local communities as its theme, the forum introduced initiatives by Suntory Holdings and LOCAL BAMBOO. Discussions focused on how to create local circular systems, centered on PET bottle recycling and bamboo grove management.
At the outset, facilitator Aoki Shigeki (青木 茂樹) raised the need for a perspective focused on circulating resources within local communities and led into the practical initiatives of the 2 companies. The first presentation outlined Suntory's bottle-to-bottle closed-loop recycling and the current expansion of agreements with local authorities.
Suntory explained its closed-loop recycling process, which turns used PET bottles back into PET bottles, and showed that Japan's domestic PET bottle collection rate reached 91.9% and its recycling rate 85.1% in fiscal 2024. The company said that more than 200 agreements had been signed with local authorities, and that their cooperation was driving further expansion.
Ehara Taro (江原 太郎) of LOCAL BAMBOO introduced Nobeoka Menma, a bamboo-shoot product that uses unmanaged bamboo groves as a local resource. He explained the system of purchasing off-spec bamboo shoots and processing them into menma products, thereby supporting continued bamboo grove maintenance.
He stressed the importance of economic incentives for bamboo grove maintenance, stating that the volume purchased had increased from 1t in the first year to 8t the following year and 15t the year after that. He also suggested that the initiative was expanding as examples from local governments were shared with other municipalities.
In the second half's workshop, proposals included creating retail displays through collaboration with retailers, improving visibility, establishing an ambassador program, and developing products for children as solutions to the challenges faced by both companies.