The Ministry of the Environment published the results of its fiscal 2026 public call for proposals and selected 2 projects to demonstrate the horizontal recycling of bioethanol-derived materials and electrical materials. Applications were accepted from 17 April to 29 May, and the projects were selected following evaluation and screening.
The Ministry of the Environment published the selected projects for the demonstration project on building a plastic resource circulation system under the fiscal 2026 project to promote the development of a decarbonised circular economy system. The 2 themes were conversion to bioplastics and other materials, and the development of recycling processes, with 2 projects selected in total.
One of the selected projects is iPEACE223 Co., Ltd.'s "Demonstration of a Decarbonisation Technology for Plastic Feedstocks through the Production of High-Yield Monomers Derived from Bioethanol." Through a demonstration of its proprietary bioethanol-based process, the project aims to decarbonise plastic feedstocks, advance the social implementation of a two-step process with high compatibility with existing petroleum-based facilities, and ultimately commercialise a one-step process. The project is considered capable of reducing CO2 emissions by at least 65%.
The second selected project is GSI Creos Corporation's "Material Development to Enable the Implementation of Electrical Equipment Materials Using Recycled Plastics." The project aims to implement a technology for horizontal recycling into the same electrical equipment products after collecting used electrical materials and adding carbon nanotubes to restore resin degradation caused by long-term exposure. It seeks to promote resource circulation and reduce CO2 emissions.