JEPLAN signed a “Comprehensive Collaborative Agreement on Promotion of Regional Recycling and Symbiosis Blocs” with four local governments in Hokkaido: Betsukai Town, Nakashibetsu Town, Shibetsu Town, and Rausu Town-Increased collaboration for bottle-to-bottle recycling of PET bottles.- - JEPLAN, INC.

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JEPLAN, INC. (Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Masaki Takao, hereafter "JEPLAN") concluded a "Comprehensive Collaborative Agreement on Promotion of Regional Recycling and Symbiosis Blocs (hereafter "the Agreement")” with four local governments in Hokkaido: Betsukai Town, (Mayor: Kozo Sone); Nakashibetsu Town (Mayor: Yutaka Nishimura); Shibetsu Town (Mayor: Shogo Yamaguchi); and Rausu Town (Mayor: Minoru Minatoya). on Friday, February 28.

Horizontal recycling of PET bottles by PET REFINE TECHNOLOGY with Betsukai Town,
Nakashibetsu Town, Shibetsu Town, and Rausu Town
(Bottle to Bottle) Process

Under this agreement, used PET bottles collected by the four towns in the Nemuro area (Betsukai, Nakashibetsu, Shibetsu and Rausu) will be pre-processed*¹ within Hokkaido, and then PET REFINE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. (President & Chief Executive Officer, Daigo Iga), a JEPLAN, INC. group company, will recycle them into raw materials for new PET bottles and other products using its proprietary PET chemical recycling technology. By utilizing proprietary technology, it is possible to recycle used PET bottles down to the molecular level, removing impurities such as dyes and metals, and recycling them into recycled PET resin of the same quality as that derived from petroleum. This makes it possible to achieve the recycling of limited resources, reducing the use of new petroleum resources that are used to make PET bottles, and also contributing to a reduction in CO₂ emissions.

The JEPLAN Group promotes resource recycling with the mission of "We circulate our world" and aims to realize a circular economy. With regard to the resource recycling of PET bottles, we are implementing initiatives related to bottle-to-bottle recycling using proprietary technologies in cooperation with local governments throughout Japan, and have concluded agreements with approximately 50 local governments (as of the end of February 2025).

The four towns in the Nemuro region have declared themselves zero-carbon cities, aiming to achieve virtually zero emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO₂ by 2050, which is considered a cause of global warming, and are working to realize a decarbonized society. Through this agreement, the four towns and the JEPLAN Group will strengthen their collaboration by promoting bottle-to-bottle recycling of used PET bottles and conducting environmental education and awareness activities for local residents in the four towns. The four towns and the JEPLAN Group will also make effective use of each other's human and material resources to promote resource recycling initiatives and educational activities, thereby contributing to the promotion of a "regional recycling symbiosis zone" that balances local environmental conservation and local economic and social revitalization.

In the future, the JEPLAN Group will continue to work together with domestic and overseas partners to realize its mission of "We circulate our world," and the group as a whole will strive to drive the circular economy forward.

*¹ Nakashibetsu Town, Shibetsu Town, and Rausu Town pre-process PET bottles at the "Nemuro Northern Waste Disposal 
     Wide-Area Union Recycling Center Kurutto," which is jointly operated by the three towns.

■ Conclusion Ceremony of "Comprehensive Collaborative Agreement on Promotion of

Regional Recycling and Symbiosis Blocs"

(From left to right) Minoru Minatoya, Mayor of Rausu Town; Yutaka Nishimura, Mayor of Nakashibetsu Town;
Michihiko Iwamoto, Director, Executive Officer and Chairman of JEPLAN, INC,:
Kozo Sone, Mayor of Betsukai Town: Shogo Yamaguchi, Mayor of Shibetsu

■ JEPLAN Group's efforts to promote "bottle-to-bottle" recycling (https://bringbottle.jeplan.co.jp/)
The JEPLAN Group is promoting bottle-to-bottle recycling initiatives in cooperation with local governments throughout Japan. Our goal is to create a society in which objects that have fulfilled their roles are no longer garbage but are recycled as valuable resources. As part of this initiative, we are implementing the "Welcome Back PET Bottle Action," an activity to collect PET bottles and recycle them back into PET bottles. In Japan, approximately 640,000 tons² of PET bottles are manufactured and sold annually. The recycling rate is about 85%³. However, only about 34%*⁴ of PET bottles are recycled as PET bottles. We aim to recycle the remaining 66% of PET bottles as bottle-to-bottle recycling, and are working to further promote resource recycling.
*^2,3,4PET Bottle Recycling Annual Report 2024 (PET Bottle Recycling Promotion Council): https://www.petbottle-rec.gr.jp/nenji/2024/2024.pdf

■ Betsukai Town, Hokkaido (https://betsukai.jp/)

Mayor: Kozo Sone

■ Nakashibetsu Town, Hokkaido (https://www.nakashibetsu.jp/)

Mayor: Yutaka Nishimura

■ Shibetsu Town, Hokkaido (https://www.shibetsutown.jp/)

Mayor: Shogo Yamaguchi

■ Rausu Town, Hokkaido (https://www.rausu-town.jp/)

Mayor: Minoru Minatoya

【The original press release is in Japanese】

【JEPLANプレスリリース】北海道別海町・中標津町・標津町・羅臼町の４自治体と「地域循環共生圏推進に関する包括連携協定」を締結.PDF