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01 May 2012

Ajinomoto Adopts Eco-Friendly Recycling Method for Bottled Coffee



JFS/Ajinomoto Adopts Eco-Friendly Recycling Method for Bottled Coffee JFS/Ajinomoto Adopts Eco-Friendly Recycling Method for Bottled Coffee
Copyright Ajinomoto General Foods, Inc.

Ajinomoto General Foods, Inc. (AGF), a major Japanese manufacturer of food and beverage products, announced on November 21, 2011, that it would introduce polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles recycled from used PET bottles utilizing what it calls a "PET bottle-to-PET bottle" recycling method. AGF started gradual introduction of the plastic bottles nicknamed "Friendly Bottles" for all of the main Blendy bottled coffee products in February 2012.
About 90 percent of used PET bottles were recycled to low-quality materials such as egg boxes and trays for food. However, the new method, the world's only chemical recycling technology, will make it possible to chemically dissolve used PET bottles into PET material, refine the material into PET resin, and produce PET bottles of identical quality to new ones that are from petroleum-derived materials.
With this technology, the use of oil-based PET raw materials will be reduced by about 60 percent annually. Additionally, the energy impact assessed by the *Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) method will decrease by about 20 percent annually compared to conventional PET bottles, thereby positively contributing to recycling-oriented society.
*LCI analysis is a technique to quantitatively compile, evaluate and interpret environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from manufacture to use and disposal.
Suntory Completes Japanese Industry's First B-to-B Recycling System for PET Bottles (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/031145.html
Coca-Cola Japan to Introduce Sugarcane-based PET Bottles for Its Beverages (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029801.html
Posted: 2012/04/28 06:00:15 AM