Report: Market Situation and Potentials in Japan for Plastic Recycling Technologies

About the Report 

Japan is actively seeking innovative technical solutions to tackle the problem of plastic waste. European waste management companies, especially those specializing in sorting and recycling plants and materials recovery, have already built a solid reputation in the country over the past years.  The Japan-EU Free Trade Agreement (JEFTA) further promotes cooperation between Japan and European companies. Given the uncertainties in other markets, Japan is an attractive partner for cooperation and offers a unique opportunity for EU companies to expand in the Japanese market.

This report is addressed to mainly small and medium-sized companies in Europe who offer innovative technology in the plastics recycling sector. It presents a comprehensive overview of the Japanese plastics recycling market including current trends, drivers as well as business potentials and challenges for European companies seeking to develop or strengthen their positions in the Japanese market.

About the Experts

Rolf Fobker, Project manager, ECOS GmbH; Johanna Schilling, Managing Director & CEO, ECOS GmbH. Dr. Rolf Fobker has been project manager in the field of environmental technologies and renewable energies at ECOS Consult since 1996. From 1982 he studied metal-organic chemistry at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and graduated as a chemist in 1988. In 1991 he received his doctorate in the subject. After teaching until 1995 for mechanical engineers in the chemistry department of the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Rolf Fobker graduated in 1996 with an apprenticeship in environmental protection at the Environmental Academy Fresenius, Dortmund. His focus at ECOS Consult is on environmental technologies, including renewable energy, recycling, product and production integrated environmental protection (PIUS) and IT. Rolf Fobker acquired special skills in German-Japanese project management as well as research and studies.

Johanna Schilling started at ECOS Consult in January 2000 as a project manager and became Managing Director in 2021. From 1992 to 1998 Johanna Schilling studied Japanese and German at the University of Trier. She also spent a year studying at the Chiba State University in Japan on a scholarship of the Japanese Ministry of Education Culture and the German Academic Exchange Service. She is fluent in Japanese and has special expertise in German-Japanese cooperation in the areas of project management, business consulting, public relations, trade fair participation, event moderation and management training.