Consumables
Teijin to Switch PET Bottle Recycling Operations from “Bottle to BottleTM” to “Bottle to Fiber”
Monday 05. January 2009 - Teijin Limited announced today that it has suspended its Bottle to BottleTM PET bottle recycling program in favor of Bottle to Fiber operations, the latter incorporating the same technology as that used to reclaim polyester fibers.
Teijin became the world’s first company to use chemical recycling technology to reclaim used PET bottles as PET resin when it launched its Bottle to BottleTM recycling operations in November 2003. The process was used to convert old polyester products into new raw materials of the same purity as those manufactured from petroleum. Teijin Fibers Limited handled manufacturing, including Bottle to BottleTM recycling, while Teijin Chemicals Limited managed sales.
In view of changes in the industry, however, Teijin has decided to suspend its Bottle to BottleTM recycling program.
PET bottle recycling is conducted under Japan’s Law for Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging. Until 2006, bottles were collected by municipalities and then allocated to recyclers with commissions under a bidding process conducted by the Japan Containers and Packaging Recycling Association (JCPRA). Due to an explosion in the demand for PET bottles in China and other locations, however, the recyclers must now handle PET bottle trading at their own expense, which has significantly raised the cost of obtaining used PET bottles.
In addition, of Japan’s 600,000-ton demand for PET resin, more than half is for resins used in non-heat resistant aseptic bottles, the majority of which is imported. Most Japanese manufacturers make heat-resistant resin used for hot fill bottles, but demand has been declining. These factors, and a recent jump in prices for raw materials, have made the conditions for recycling difficult. Although the Teijin Group launched its Bottle to BottleTM recycling program and has made the utmost efforts to continue it out of concern for the environment, the program had to be suspended due to difficult business conditions.
Teijin’s Former Bottle to BottleTM Recycling Program
Location:
– Teijin Fibers Limited Tokuyama Plant, Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Process:
– Polyester raw materials (dimethyl terephthalate [DMT] and ethylene glycol) are recovered from used PET bottles.
– DMT is converted into high-grade terephthalic acid (TPA), a raw material for PET bottle resin.
– PET bottle resin is then produced through a reaction with ethylene glycol.
Capacities:
– Used PET bottle processing: 62,000 tons/year
– PET bottle resin production: 50,000 tons/year
After not participating in the JCPRA’s bidding process this year, Teijin recycled 4,000 tons of unprocessed material remaining from the previous fiscal year, finishing the work in June and thereby concluding its Bottle to BottleTM resin reclamation activities for the year.
Although Teijin is not currently recovering TPA from used PET bottles, it continues to purchase TPA as a raw material for the post-processing of PET bottle resin at Teijin Fibers’ Tokuyama Plant. PET bottle resin manufacturing will also be reorganized by shifting production at Teijin Fibers’ Matsuyama Plant (annual capacity: 40,000 tons) to the Tokuyama Plant (annual capacity: 50,000 tons).
Teijin is also planning to recycle used PET bottles as higher value-added polyester fibers under a Bottle to Fiber recycling program, thereby expanding its chemical recycling operations. Fiber to FiberTM recycling of used polyester fiber products into new polyester fiber is carried out at the Matsuyama Plant. This, as well as the shift to Bottle to Fiber recycling at the Tokuyama Plant, will further advance the Teijin Group’s ongoing development of environmentally oriented recycling.