According to global Trends, Japan's Ministry of Environment strives to promote domestic use of bioplastics products and to stop the use of disposable items made from petroleum-derived plastics that cause environmental pollution. The movement to stop using disposable plastics has spread across Japan and beyond Japan.
Starbucks, the US coffee giant, has decided to stop using plastic straws from its global stores 2020 years ago, and a family restaurant later announced it would stop using plastic straws this year. The use of bioplastics reduces the consumption of oil and reduces the amount of waste to be incinerated, as they are easily decomposed by underground microorganisms.
However, because of the high cost, and the large-scale production system is not fully implemented, it is difficult to popularize. The Ministry of Health plans to finance companies and universities to develop technologies that use bioplastics instead of plastic packaging. It is also keen to expand and improve facilities to increase the production of bio-plastic products.
In its budget requirements for the next financial year, the Ministry of Health has budgeted $5 billion (US $45 million) for these projects to study methods for the collection and processing of used bioplastics products. For example, Japanese auto parts supplier Denso Corp is using bioplastics in its products, including polycarbonate made from castor oil, polyurethane and starch. The company said that the starch-made PC not only has a high hardness on its surface, but also has superior optical properties and water stability compared to conventional materials. Denso, a press conference, said that the PC's low refractive index and easier to color, which means no additional color.
Toyota Motor Company also uses Denso material in the inclined surface of its navigation system. The heat-resistant polyurethane resin made from castor oil can be used as a protective device for connectors in automotive waste sensors. These sensors must have high heat resistance to measure the concentration of a particular gas. are generally made of silicone resin. The company claims that the new polyurethane resins are cheaper and can withstand temperatures as high as 150 °, significantly reducing the amount of mass produced when melting or forming. It also says this is the first resin of its kind in the world. The company has set up an Eco 2025 action plan. It says it will continue to develop plastic for plant-based materials and increase the number of these products.
The aim is to reduce the amount of oil used and the emissions of carbon dioxide in the use of the product. According to the government's Global warming prevention Program, by the year 2030, China could reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 2.09 million tonnes by increasing its domestic bio-plastic traffic to 1.97 million tonnes.