With the 2019 G20 Summit kicking off in Osaka this weekend, Japanese media has been saturated with stories surrounding one of the upcoming conference’s major talking points: the reduction of plastic waste. For those familiar with the nation’s rigorous trash disposal and recycling system, it might seem a bit strange that Japan has a waste management problem. Just how bad can it be if a bustling place like Tokyo is virtually trash-free?
Turns out, pretty bad. Greenpeace reports that Japan is currently among the top exporters of plastic waste behind only the United States and Germany. The Plastic Waste Management Institute of Japan finds that currently, 58% of discarded plastic in Japan ends up through an incinerator that ultimately releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, while 14% is exported to the private sector overseas with no way to track its disposal. One of the most pressing concerns is the effects of this plastic waste on marine life, with over 80% of marine plastic pollution coming from these waters.
(JP) Link: Over 9 Million Plastic Bags, Waste Submerged in Osaka Bay
But this year’s G20 Summit represents an opportunity for Japanese government to share new, more environmentally conscious initiatives in waste management, including their plans to achieve “zero plastic pollution in oceans by 2050” (2050年までにプラごみの海洋流出ゼロを目指す). A major target of these initiatives is arguably the biggest consumer and distributor of plastic products in Japan: grocery and convenience stores. While plastic bags are often given out free-of-charge with each purchase, the government aims to enforce a mandatory charge on plastic bags by April of 2020. Some major stores are already following suit. Ministop became the first Japanese convenience store chain to employ a plastic bag charge at 3 yen per bag.
But the reduction of plastic waste doesn’t stop at shopping bags. 7-Eleven Japan also took the cause to onigiri wrappers. The franchise boasts 21,000 stores across Japan with over 2.2 billion onigiri sales per year. Aiming to reduce this considerable footprint in plastic waste, the chain announced this week that future production would utilize only plant-based materials. Nissin Foods Holdings similarly announced a change in production for their flagship product, Cup Noodle, aiming for a 97% reduction of fossil-fuel based plastics for their containers starting in 2020.
(JP) Link: Nissin Foods Holdings, Cup Noodle Containers to Switch to Plant-Based Plastics
However, experts say these plastic bags and containers are only a fraction of the true problem. Professor Takada Hideshige of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, for example, cautions that the greater concern is the overuse of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles:
海の中のプラスチックのごみでは一番ペットボトルが数が多いです。レジ袋はだいたい10位で、ペットボトルは対策しないとしょうがない。ペットボトルも名前を明記して削減対象にすべきだと言ったが、結果としては（減らすのは）レジ袋だけ。レジ袋をスケープゴートにしてペットボトルを守ったのは今回のやり方ではないかと考えています。(高田秀重、東京農業大学)
PET bottles make up the largest portion of plastic waste in our oceans, while plastic bags are around the 10th largest. If we don’t address PET bottle pollution, these initiatives will all be for nothing. We need to label PET bottles as a target of these reduction measures as we have done with plastic bags. Though as things stand, plastic bags are treated as a scapegoat while PET bottle production is protected. (Takada Hideshige, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology)
Others are looking abroad for innovative ways to address the plastic waste problem at home in Japan. Coverage from TBS News Japan this week featured a “Plastic Fishing” (プラスチック釣り）tour in Amsterdam, in which tourists scoop up trash as they float down a guided boat tour through the canals. The same video also featured furniture, art pieces, and everyday items made from recycled plastic. Commentators emphasize the need to find new uses for plastic beyond merely a material to be used and thrown away (”使い捨て”ではないプラスチックの「評価」).
While there is still much work to be done towards waste reduction, conversation and environmental consciousness in Japan are following close behind. As we enter the G20 Summit this weekend, time will tell how these conversations will manifest into policy and international initiative.
