From January 2023, we will start shipping GEOPLAS® HCT3 type, an environmentally friendly hybrid shrink film with a recycled material ratio of 30%.

The recycled hybrid film, which will be launched, uses 30 % chemically recycled raw materials by the mass balancing approach, and will expand sales channels to the US and ASEAN markets after being developed in the Japanese market. This will promote the expand in the market as the first recycle hybrid film that reduces the use of petroleum-derived raw materials. (Click here for the head office press release)

In this article, we will share two points: (1) about the mass balance approach, and (2) physical properties when compared with existing petrochemical-derived films.

① The reason to apply the mass balance approach

The mass balancing approach is when a raw material with certain features (e.g., chemical recycled raw material) is mixed with a raw material that does not have certain features (e.g., petroleum-derived raw material) during processing and distribution from raw materials to products.
It distributes the raw material with specific features to a part of the product according to the input amount of the raw materials with the specific features.
The mass balance approach-based products require a third-party certification to avoid arbitrary decisions by companies.
By depolymerizing and monomerizing waste plastic-derived raw materials through chemical recycling, and by combining 100% recycling features according to the input amount during repolymerization, it becomes a "raw material which the recycling effect is combined."

②Physical properties when compared with existing petrochemical-derived films

The mass balancing approach recycled raw materials used in HCT3 has a feature that only the upstream raw materials are replaced with recycled products, so the structure and shrink appearance of the petrochemical-derived raw materials does not change. Recycled hybrid shrink film of Gunze has made it possible to create a sustainable film as well as maintaining the great shrink ability.

In December 2019, Gunze established the "Promoting a basic policy towards a recycling system for plastics", and the Plastics Company has declared that it will replace 50% of the raw materials using circulated materials like recycled or bio-attributed by 2027 and will increase to 100% by 2030. In addition, our core plant, Moriyama plant, will change into a circular factory*1 and to the factory with zero emissions*2 that does not produce plastic waste materials by 2024. In this process, the company will collect own multilayered products and establish its separation and recycling technologies. And then commercialize the products with 100% recyclable raw materials.