Environment

A research team led by Osaka University developed a high-strength marine biodegradable plastic sheet by combining two ubiquitous biomass resources, starch and cellulose.

Japan has maintained its carbon emissions reduction target in its updated emissions plan submitted to the United Nations as part of an international process to address climate change.

In the future, when someone implores a dining companion to “finish off the meal,” it just might mean that they are expected to eat the plate and cutlery, too.

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation recently decided that it will acquire two Swiss engineering plastics recyclers, Minger Kunststofftechnik AG and Minger Plastic AG (collectively, the Minger Group), through its group company Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials as a part of the company’s efforts to promote the circular economy. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of February this year.

Beginning in July, retailers across Japan will be required to charge for plastic shopping bags, at a time when marine plastic waste is becoming a serious problem worldwide.

An organic products company based in northern Japan hopes its environmentally friendly fertilizer made from cow urine will catch on with farmers in Southeast Asia.

In the gusty northeast, a power company is looking to fund offshore wind projects with a landmark sale of green bonds that seeks to muscle in on the growing pool of money available for environmentally friendly investments.

Tohoku Electric Power Co. plans to price what would be the debut green note from a utility with its ¥5 billion offering of 10-year securities Thursday.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization have agreed to cooperate on monitoring forests and mangroves — considered a sponge for greenhouse gases — around the world by using data from observation satellites amid deepening concerns over climate change.

Researchers have developed an environmentally friendly method of recycling concrete waste by mixing in wood and other materials.

Researchers have demonstrated that seabirds which consumed plastics accumulated the harmful substance in their livers and fat, raising an alarm about the dangers posed by marine plastic pollution.