Paper and plastic are the most common packaging materials in Japan
In Japan, paper packaging such as corrugated boxes is mostly demanded for food packaging, but also for packaged goods such as electrical appliances, medicine, cosmetics, or as boxes for mail and parcel delivery or moving. Plastic packaging is commonly used for food and beverage containers as well. There is a high demand for on-the-go packaging formats, such as takeaway food boxes from supermarkets, and beverage bottles from vending machines. Even vegetables and fruits are often individually wrapped to keep them clean and fresh. This contributes to the generation of huge amounts of plastic waste and consequently, plastic packaging made up almost half of the household waste that was generated in Japan.What environmental impact does plastic packaging waste have?
The huge amounts of plastic packaging waste contribute to both land and marine waste pollution: In recent years, plastic packaging such as food wrappers or plastic beverage bottles were among the most common waste items that were collected from the coasts and ocean of Japan. Microplastic pollution can cause health issues both for animals and humans, as the tiny pieces of degraded plastic absorb harmful chemicals that end up in the food chain. The increasing public awareness of such environmental issues puts pressure on the Japanese government to tackle this problem and find more sustainable alternatives.What is Japan doing to reduce packaging waste?
As part of the goal to establish a carbon-neutral society by 2050, the Japanese government has drawn up strategies to reduce fossil-based plastics. In 2019, it formulated the Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics, which aims to reduce single-use plastic products and promotes switching to raw materials such as paper or bioplastics instead. It also encourages companies and citizens to reuse and recycle waste.Paper containers and packaging are becoming increasingly common, as many Japanese companies currently work on replacing plastic products with more sustainable and more easily recyclable paper alternatives. These efforts also find support among Japanese citizens, as the majority of respondents of a survey from 2022 agreed that plastic products such as cups, food containers, cutlery, and wrapping materials should be replaced with paper products.
Following the Container and Packaging Recycling Law, plastic, paper, PET bottles, aluminum, and glass are collected separately to be recycled. However, the recycling rate of packaging materials in Japan stood at around 46 percent for plastic, and close to 25 percent for paper. The overall recycling rate remains even lower at around 20 percent, as the majority of municipal waste in Japan is incinerated.
