2021

Ministry of the Environment Adopts Proof of Concept for “edish” Upcycled Tableware
~Realizing an upcycle from tableware collection to composting and vegetable cultivation~

Sep. 16. 2021
Marubeni Corporation

Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, "Marubeni") is working on a “Consideration of various utilizations of upcycled dishes called “edish,” and demonstration of their molding and composting technology” (hereinafter, the “PoC"). The PoC has been adopted under the Japanese Ministry of the Environment’s " Demonstration Project for a Plastic Resource Circulation System toward a Decarbonized Society ".

"edish" is a sustainable and circulate tableware company born from Marubeni's Business Plan Contest held in 2019. Marubeni uses unique technology to upcycle (*) food waste materials such as food skins (until now a rarely utilized piece of food waste) into tableware. edish aims for further upcycling by composting the edish tableware collected after use, together with kitchen waste, to nourish soil and put it back into the dining cycle as vegetables and flowers.

Upcycling tableware "edish" made from food waste food Upcycling tableware "edish" made from food waste food

Upcycling process of “edish” Upcycling process of “edish”

The purpose of ths PoC is as follows:
① By using edish materials for all disposable items used for meals, the need for sorting waste can be reduces and convenience for users can be improved.
② The collected edish will be monitored for the amount of food waste, the composition of the resulting compost will be measured, and the emissions from fermentation and decomposition during processing will be verified.
③ The resulting edish compost will be used by an agricultural corporation to grow vegetables. This will confirm its effectiveness (nutritional value) as compost.

In order to verify the above three points, this PoC will be conducted at the following locations:
■ Hotel
With the cooperation of Super Hotel Co., Ltd., we will hold part of the PoC at the breakfast buffet at Super Hotel Lake Kawaguchi and aim to use the resulting compost in the surrounding agricultural land.
■ Large Park
With the cooperation of Anjo Industrial Culture Park Denpark in Aichi Prefecture, we aim to reduce waste by using edish for the plates and glasses used in the barbecue area in the park and circulating it within the park.
■ Office Building
At the Marubeni Building, we will use edish for take-out containers, plates, and cutlery used in the cafeteria operated by Marubeni, collect them inside the building, and compost them with the composting device installed underground.

Marubeni's "Long-term Vision for Climate Change" announced in March 2021 states that the company will contribute to low-carbon and decarbonization through its business. Going forward, Marubeni will continue to use and collect "edish" made from food waste as a raw material for eating and drinking, and aim to reduce CO2 emissions by realizing resource recycling without incineration.

(*) Upcycle: One method for sustainable manufacturing, the goal of which is to create a product that has greater value than the original. This is different from recycling (turning materials into raw materials to reuse them), which has been done in the past.

<Outline of the PoC>
・Implementation period : August 2021-March 2022 (planned)
・Related businesses : We applied for this PoC as a representative company, but we will implement it in cooperation with the following companies.
    【Representative company】 Marubeni Corporation
    【Cooperating company】 Marubeni Forest LinX Co.,Ltd.
Super Hotel Co., Ltd.,
Anjo Industrial Culture Park Denpark,
Plus Industry Co., Ltd.,
Japan Mikuniya Co., Ltd.,
TAKEcite Co., Ltd.
・ HP : https://edish-jp.com/
・ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/edish_official/

edish3

edish4

【Interested in "edish"?】
If you are interested in the efforts of "edish", please contact us!
・ General Inquiries: edish@marubeni.com(Marubeni Corporation, Packaging Paper & Board Dept,(Mr.) Yanase)
・ Media Inquiries TEL: 03-3282-3886(Marubeni Corporation, Corporate Communications Department, (Mr.) Kato)

<Related release>
Press Release Dated July 30, 2020
PoC of press release "circulating tableware" "edish" - "tableware upcycle" that anyone can easily participate in feed and fertilizer after use-
https://www.marubeni.com/jp/news/2020/release/20200730J.pdf

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