On January 1, 2024, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024 occurred, with the epicenter in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture. More than five months after the earthquake, many people
In 2018, a video of a single straw stuck in a sea turtle’s nose went viral and shocked the entire world. Since then, a number of large corporations, including Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Hyatt Hotels, have begun to reduce single-use plastics. As consumers become more environmentally conscious, many restaurants and cafes have probably replaced plastic cups for coffee with paper ones.
In Japan, the ” Law Concerning the Promotion of Resource Recycling of Plastics (Plastic Resource Recycling Law) ” will be enforced in April 2022 to reduce the amount of plastic waste and promote resource recycling, and many restaurants and cafes will have replaced plastic coffee cups with paper ones.
On the other hand, many common paper cups have a thin coating of plastic material on the inside to create a waterproof layer. in August 2023, Environmental Pollution, an international journal in the field of environmental science, published a study that found that “paper cups with a plastic coating , as harmful to the environment as plastic cups,” according to a study published in the journal.
In this context, Ecoinno Japan Co., Ltd. is selling “ecoinno®️”, a paper container made of 100% dietary fiber material that has no plastic coating and does not use the toxic PFAS-based coating that has recently been raised as a problem.
Ecoinno Japan’s ecoinno is made from a patented cellulosic material called “GCM®️”. Since the material is biodegradable and returns to nature, it can be composted with food scraps. According to the company’s experiments conducted from 2021 to 2022, ecoinno returned to the soil completely in about 120 days, even in winter.
Biodegradability Experiment
In addition, because the material is resistant to moisture, oil, and ethanol, there is no risk of seepage, even without lamination or coating of plastic-based materials. It can be used for beverages, soupy dishes, fried foods, etc. without problems.
Furthermore, it is heat resistant from -196°C to over 200°C. Despite being a paper container, it can be cooked in an oven or steamer, or stored chilled in a freezer. It can be used in a variety of situations, depending on your ideas.
Can be heated in an oven or other cooking (pictured left) and served in chilled storage (pictured right)
At the FIA F1 World Championship Series Honda Japanese Grand Prix race event in 2022, ecoinno was used for lunchbox containers and beverage cups distributed at the venue for the press and staff of each country. The used containers were collected and composted in Mie Prefecture for use by local farmers.
They were also used as containers for the buffet served at the event by “JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization)”. Special collection boxes were set up at the venue.
JETRO NETWORKING EVENT Venue
In recent years, with the rise in environmental awareness, we are seeing more and more opportunities to see the terms “greenwashing” and “SDGs-washing. Consumer scrutiny of sustainability initiatives is also becoming more stringent.
If plastic containers are to be eliminated and replaced with paper cups, it will be necessary to examine the paper cups from multiple perspectives to see if they really have a low environmental impact, including their coating.
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[Reference site] Ecoinno Japan
