Ten Major 2023 Packaging Topics in Japan
With the reclassification of COVID-19 to Class 5 in May, according to Japan´s Infectious Diseases Control Law, Japanese people were relieved after the Coronavirus disaster and 2023 saw regained economic momentum, including tourism starting to flourish with recovering demand. However, the yen remained weakened, and Japan was described as facing a historical turning point from deflation due to imported goods price increases. In the packaging industry, topics frequently mentioned included progress in applying AI technologies and measures for environmental issues.
1. Firm Expressed Determination through the Bottle to Bottle Recycling Campaign Held during the G7 Summit
Bottle to Bottle, a recycling campaign to raise awareness, was held by two giant beverage manufacturers during the G7 Hiroshima Summit in 2023. Japanese media highlighted the unusual joint newspaper advertisement of the campaign. The campaign was created from the two manufacturers´ commitment to environmental protection through horizontal recycling. The advertisement used the summit timing to announce their firm determination throughout Japan and to the world.
2. Multidisciplinary Changes and Innovations Brought by Generative AI
Started toward the end of 2022, conversational AI services brought about revolutionary changes to a broad range of business domains. For example, generative AI contributed tremendously in drafting inhouse documents, improving email dispatch efficiency, activating data exchanges during product development and many other features. In the packaging industry, one company successfully introduced interactive generative AI designing purchase-stimulus package designs. The AI technology was also used to standardize judging damage inflicted on outer cardboard boxes. The AI technology promoted applying this unified damage judgement throughout the drink distribution sector.
3. Limitation of 18 Standard Ink Colors for Cardboard Box Printing
In 2023, the ink to be used for producing cardboard boxes consisted of 18 standard colors determined by three organizations: the Japan Corrugated Case Association, Japan Paper-box & Corrugated-box Industry Association and Japan Printing Ink Makers Association; and 32 auxiliary colors. Some special colors were also exceptionally allowed for limited types of products. From April 1, 2024, however, only these 18 standard colors should be used, which is expected to reduce unused ink waste, carbon dioxide emissions and other environmental damage.
4. Direct Plastic Bottle Printing Technology Developed for Better Recycling
The Council for PET Bottle Recycling permits no direct printing on bottles in its guidelines. One beverage company solved the issue of plastic resin quality deterioration after recycling printed bottles. The company utilized the ink created by a film company, which can be exfoliated during bottle recycling, employing its own proprietary beverage bottle making technology. Direct digital printing on plastic bottles will also help consumers greatly, eliminating the need to peel shrink labels away after consumption. This new printing technology is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from plastic bottles by approximately 84 percent. The company has filed the application for using the technology with the Council and announced its intention to offer it widely in the industry, rather than using it by itself.
5. For Our Circulating Society: Promoting Recycling of Refill-use Packages with Company Cooperation
A daily goods manufacturer is promoting recycling film-made containers for refilling by pursuing inter-business cooperation. The recycling has been challenging because different film containers are made from different raw materials. To address the problem, the company designed recyclable materials and containers that effectively solve this situation. The company is also planning a separated collection program for used containers. To this end, the company requested other daily goods manufacturers to provide information on the raw materials used for their respective containers, and is also getting close cooperation from consumers, related government offices and the distribution sector. This joint problem-solving effort by competing entities is an important step for building our circulating society.
6. Packaging Materials & Containers Reached 6,000,000 Million Yen after a 14 Year Slowdown
The Japan Packaging Institute published the Statistics on the Scale of the Japanese Packaging Industry in 2022. According to the statistics, the shipment value of packaging materials and containers recorded 6,078,800 million yen, a 6.9 percent increase from the previous year, which was the first time in the 14 years since 2008 that the figure reached the 6,000,000-million-yen level. Yet, the shipment volume registered 19,210,000 tons, a 0.2 percent decrease. Thus, while the shipment volume was lower than the previous year, the shipment value was greater by 390,000 million yen, greatly affected by rising raw material prices and energy costs as well as the rapidly depreciating yen.
7. Used Copy Paper Turned into High-Quality Packaging Cushioning Material
A company developed paper yarn-made cushioning material for packaging from used copy paper collected in house. The company was successful in fiberizing the paper with its proprietary technology, adding almost no water, and provided the impact absorbing effect through relevant cushion forming. The new material proves to be equal in shock absorbance to expanded polystyrene (EPS) or Styrofoam. When discarding packaging materials, the cardboard boxes together with this cushioning material can be offered for recycling. This item received the Japan Star award in the 2023 Japan Packaging Contest.
8. Enhanced Work on Environmental Burden Reduction in the Pharmaceutical Sector
A large pharmaceutical manufacturer started collecting press-through packaging (PTP) sheets, conducting a trial collection program in a local community area in Yokohama City in conjunction with other companies. Progress is also seen in recycling used PTP sheets undertaken by other businesses. Biomass and recycled materials are also being newly used by some companies for first stage packaging, and these materials are also manufactured and marketed, increasing the users of biomass and recycled materials. A wide variety of initiatives for reducing the environmental burden are being taken with accelerated speed by pharmaceutical companies and other related entities.
9. Mr. Toshio Arita, First Japanese to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award in Packaging
Mr. Toshio Arita was honored with the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award in Packaging by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO), Austria. Mr. Arita served the 7th and 11 terms as the President of the Institute of Packaging Professionals. He was the first Japanese person to receive this award. Mr. Arita´s commendation was held at interpack 2023-the processing and packing exhibition held in Düsseldorf. Mr. Arita was engaged in information and technology exchanges for 50 years with packaging organizations in Japan and abroad, and tremendously contributed to the world´s packaging industry.
10. Packaging Exhibitions Come Back
Exhibitions were held again in 2023, including Japan Pack, FOOMA and INTERPHEX. These exhibitions recorded either the same or greater numbers of exhibiting companies and visitors than before, including Japan Pack that saw visitors more than triple over the previous exhibition. These attendance records clearly show the resurgence of the packaging industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.