Microplastics research in Japan 2020 (EN)

2020 Microplastic Leakage Survey Report
Challenges and next steps to solving the problem
Pirika Inc. / Pirika Association
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25 March 2021
Revised April 2023

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© 2023 Pirika, Inc.
Contents
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- About Pirika Inc. / Pirika Association
- Why microplastic leakage is a problem
- About the Albatross project
- The 2020 Microplastic Leakage Survey
- Next steps and challenges to solving the problem

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About Pirika Inc. / Pirika Association
Representative：Fujio Kojima
Set sights on solving environmental issues after reading a
book when aged 7. Majored in environmental engineering at
Osaka Prefecture University and energy economics at Kyoto
University Graduate School. Traveled around the world while
still at graduate school and witnessed how human-created
waste was spilling into nature. Started development of the
Pirika litter picking social network app upon returning to
Japan. Dropped out of Kyoto University in 2011 and
established Pirika Inc..
Pirika is supported by a diverse team of more than 50 members including part-timers and interns
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A non-profit organization / startup that aims to use
science and technology to solve all kinds of
environmental issues.
For their first step, Pirika is focused on the issue of
human-created waste (especially plastic) spilling
into nature.
※Pirika = “Beautiful” in Ainu, a language spoken by the indigenous people of
northern Japan
Timeline：
2010 Begins as a student-led project at the University of Kyoto
2011 Fujio Kojima drops out of university, establishes Pirika Inc. in Tokyo
2018 Wins Ministry of Environment Award (2018 Cleaning Award)
Establishes non-profit organization
2019 Pirika’s efforts are picked up in the Ministry of
the Environment’s Annual Report on the Environment 2019

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Why plastic leakage is an issue
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Both the global population and volume of plastic used per person have
increased
→ Exponential increase in plastic consumption and leakage
Concerns over plastic leakage’s negative impact on ecosystems
- Impact on marine life (suffocation, starvation, injury)
- Impact on climate change (inhibits planktons from absorbing CO2)
Predicting the impact of plastic leakage is difficult but there are concerns of
serious and irreversible consequences and it is an issue that, as with global
warming, warrants the application of the precautionary principle*.
※Precautionary principle：a system or concept that allows for regulatory measures even if
there is a hypothetical danger to the new technology that has a significant and irreversible
effect on the environment, even if the causal relationship is not sufficiently proved
scientifically.

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Why microplastic leakage is a problem
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Microplastics = plastics smaller than 5 mm
- Microplastics are believed to be a greater risk to
the human body when compared to larger
plastics as they can easily be ingested through
drink and food.
- Plastic itself is harmless but may contain
substances that are harmful to the human body.

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About the Albatross project
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A survey on the outflow mechanisms to stop the leakage of plastics
Clarifying the causal items and
leakage paths are essential to
stopping the leakage.
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Conventional plastic leakage survey methods
Conventional methods such as trawling are expensive and
impossible in some locations.
Boats cannot enter
shallow or narrow rivers
Boats are costly

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Development of microplastic collection devices
A small survey device was developed, allowing surveys anywhere and at low cost.
Albatross 1
Albatross 3
Albatross 7
Patent pending

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Expanding Albatross survey network
Also used by the UN, now one of the world’s largest microplastic survey networks
※Surveys in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were conducted as
part of project CounterMEASURE under the UN environment programme

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Deducing the causal plastic product
Each of the more than 5,000 samples collected were analyzed. The causal plastic product was deduced in collaboration
with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the Tokyo University of Science and plastic molding companies.

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The Albatross project implementation in 2020
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Implementing body Pirika Association
Technical cooperation Pirika Inc. (development and provision of equipment and know-how)
Financial support (grants, sponsorship, donations)
The Nippon Foundation
(The Ocean and Japan Project)
The FP Corp. Environment Fund
Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd.
FANCL Corporation
Advisers and partners
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Prof. Gaku Fukuhara Guidance and supervision of analysis procedures
Osumi Co., Ltd. Commissioned for analysis services
Miyoshi Inc. Help in deduction of causal plastic product
Tokyo University of Science, Prof. Yasuo Nihei Advised the leakage calculation process
Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd. Provided water outflow data
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. Assisted in analysis of artificial turf

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Project flow for 2020
Project flow for 2019
Project flow (compared to previous year)
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Collect candidate plastic particles
Pre-treatment
Analysis
Deduction of product
Consideration
Select survey locations
Build partnerships
Calculation of leakage volume
Development of solution businesses
Measurement and calculation of mass

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1. Building partnerships
In partnership with 20 municipalities nation-wide and 2 universities, survey in each area was continued
even during the COVID-19 crisis.
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Region Partner
Hokkaido Hokkaido Prefecture
Kanto
Saitama Prefecture, Tama City, Fukaya City, Abiko
City, Tateyama City, Minato Ward, Setagaya Ward,
Tokyo City University
Chubu Yamanashi Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, Shima City,
Toyohashi City, Mishima City, Yokkaichi University
Kansai Shiga Prefecture, Sakai City, Kameoka City, Kobe
City (Rokko Island High School)
Chugoku Okayama City
Kyushu Fukuoka City (in collaboration with the towns of Umi
and Shime), Kirishima City

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The survey locations were selected upon consultation with
each of the partners and in consideration of various factors
such as survey requests from local communities and safety.
(Right：example of Minato Ward)
In addition to conventional surface-level plastic collection,
plastics were also collected from near the bottom of the water
in some areas. (see below)
2. Selection of survey locations
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Surface
Bottom

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Candidate plastic particles were collected using the Albatross 7, a sampling device with a battery-powered
propeller that passes surface-level water into a net.
3. Collection of candidate plastic particles
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How the Albatross 7 sampling device works
Uses a 0.3mm
mesh
plankton net
Water filter meter to
measure volume of
passed water
Battery-powered
(Can be used at a flow rate of 0)
Collects 1 to 5 m3 of water in 3
minutes
Can be transported and stored
in a single cardboard box

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3. Collection of candidate plastic particles: images
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Chemicals used for density
separation
Water surface sample:
NaCl, 1.2 g/cm3
Water bottom sample:
NaI, 1.5 g/cm3
Chemicals and conditions for
water purification
30 wt% H
2
O
2
+0.05 M
Fe(II) (1:1), 50℃, 1h
4. Pre-treatment
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Candidate plastic particles were separated from natural particles such as sand, plants and
corpses using a solution for density separation and an oxidizing agent for purification

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5. Analysis
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Parameters such as composition, color, size, thickness and shape of the candidate plastic particles were
obtained using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), microscopes and calipers.

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6. Deduction of causal plastic product
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With the help of Miyoshi Inc. and Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., the procedure to determine the causal
plastic product for the microplastics was developed and improved for use in this project. For instance,
visually identical pieces of artificial turf were classified in 3 categories based on composition, shape and
size, allowing for the source of the leakage to be identified.
Injection-molded type
(door mats, golf driving ranges, etc.)
Extruded type – Long pile
(football fields, etc.)
Extruded type - Other
(tennis courts, etc.)

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7. Measurement & calculation of microplastic mass
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Developed procedure to determine the mass of microplastics from composition, shape and
surface area. Microplastic mass can now be calculated at low cost (patent pending).
　
1. Determining the composition, shape and surface area
of the microplastic
2. The mass is calculated by entering the surface area
into the composition and shape specific formula
Surface area
mass
Relationship between PE (particle) surface area and mass

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8. Calculation of microplastic (MicP) leakage volume
Calculated using methods described in papers by Tokyo University of Science and Yachiyo Engineering
(Yasuo Nihei,Takushi Yoshida,Tomoya Kataoka and Riku Ogata. High-Resolution Mapping of Japanese Microplastic and Macroplastic Emissions
from the Land into the Sea. Water 2020, 12(4), 951. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/4/951)
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*1 Of the results obtained from the 2020 Albatross project, the data used was collected from the surface-level of rivers
*2 Calculations made by Pirika only considered urban area ratios and didn’t include population density
*3 The data for water outflow volume per 1km grid was provided by Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd.
Calculation method
1. MicP concentration for a 1km grid is calculated from the
observed MicP concentration*1 and river basin
characteristics (population density and urban area ratio*2)
2. The water outflow volume is calculated for the 1km grid*3
3. [1]×[2] gives the MicP leakage volume for a 1km grid, and
the sum of all figures for Japan gives the MicP leakage
volume of Japan.

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9. Deduction of styrofoam
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With the help of Japan Expanded Polystyrene Association, Ltd., visually identical pieces of styrofoam were
classified in 2 categories based on appearance, allowing for the source of the leakage to be identified. The
mass of styrofoam is lighter than other polystyrene products. Thus, the formula specialized in styrofoam was
developed to estimate the mass of microplastics that originate from styrofoam.
EPS (Expanded Polystyrene)
packing material, fish box, etc.
PSP(Polystyrene Sheet)
food tray, etc.

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Microplastics collected at 112 of the 120 survey locations in Japan
- Collected products included artificial turf, coated fertilizers, styrofoam, etc.
- Compared to other countries, Japan had a much higher proportion of artificial turf in its microplastic leakage
Microplastics collected at 28 of the 29 locations where samples were taken from the bottom of
the water
- As with surface-level surveys, the majority were low specific density plastics such as PE
- Presence of several types of high specific density plastics that weren’t found in surface-level surveys.
Calculating the mass revealed new findings regarding the leakage
- The seriousness of coated fertilizer leakage has become apparent
- The leakage volume of artificial turf from doormats and golf driving ranges were 4 times greater than from other sporting facilities
Japan has an annual microplastic leakage of 157 tonnes
Newly revealed facts
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Microplastics collected at 112 out of 120 locations
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Region Prefecture Rivers, harbors and lakes in which microplastics were present
Hokkaido Hokkaido Abira River, Yufutsu River, Pacific Ocean
Kanto
Tokyo Arakawa River, Kottagawa River, Okuri River, the canal near Shibaura Park, the canal near Shibaura Island Tower, Tennozu Canal, Keihin
Canal, Tokyo Bay, Tamagawa River, Nogawa River, Kanda River, Nihonbashi River, Sendaibori River, Sumida River, Meguro River
Saitama Arakawa River, Tonegawa River, Fukukawa River, Karasawa River, Nakagawa River
Chiba Tateyama Bay, Choshi Port, Tonegawa River, Lake Teganuma
Ibaraki Tonegawa River, Lake Kasumigaura
Chubu
Aichi Toyokawa River, Umeda River
Yamanashi Shiokawa River, Fuji River, Arakawa River, Byodo River, Fuefuki River
Shizuoka Matsuge River, Sakai River, Oba River, Goten River
Kansai
Osaka Ishizu River, Higashiyoke River, Hazama River,
Yamato River
Shiga Sofu River, Chagama River, Lake Biwa, Setagawa River
Hyogo Osaka Bay (Port of Kobe)
Kyoto Chiji River, Toshitani River, Nango Pond, Nishikawa River,
Hozugawa River
Mie Ago Bay, Matoya Bay, Kaizou River
Chugoku Okayama Sunagawa River, Sasagase River, Kurashiki River,
Ashimori River
Kyushu
Fukuoka Umi River
Kagoshima Amori River, Korida River

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Examples of plastic products found in 2020
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Artificial turf
(injection-molded type)
Tarpaulin (blue tarp, etc.) Ropes (PE rope, PP rope, etc.)
Coated fertilizer
Styrofoam
Artificial turf
(extruded type)

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Compared to Southeast Asia and the EU (Surface level)
Having compared the results of this survey (Japan) with those from
Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) and the EU (France,
the Netherlands, the UK), significant regional differences were
found in the proportion of microplastic products in the leakage.
- Artificial turf
Artificial turf amounted to 19.5% of the microplastic leakage in Japan.
This proportion of artificial turf in Japan’s leakage was almost 2 times
that of Southeast Asia (11.3%) and 25 times that of the EU (0.8%).
- Styrofoam
The proportion of Styrofoam in Japan’s microplastic leakage was
10.3%. The corresponding figure was a similar 10.8% in Southeast
Asia while the proportion of Styrofoam was much higher in the EU at
64.7%.
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Proportion of artificial turf among microplastics
Proportion of Styrofoam among microplastics
Percentage
Percentage
Japan Southeast
Asia
The EU
Japan Southeast
Asia
The EU

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Microplastics collected from 28 out of 29 locations (water bottom)
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Region Prefecture Rivers, harbors and lakes in which microplastics were present
Kanto
Tokyo
Arakawa River, Kanda River, Nihonbashi River, Sendaibori River, Sumida River,
Meguro River
Chiba Tateyama Bay, Choshi Port, Lake Teganuma
Chubu
Aichi Toyokawa River
Shizuoka Sakai River, Oba River
Kansai
Osaka Ishizu River
Shiga Lake Biwa, Setagawa River
Kyoto Inukai River, Hozugawa River
Kyushu
Fukuoka Umi River
Kagoshima Amori River

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New plastics with heavy specific density + light plastic too
● As was the case with the surface-level survey, plastics with a light specific density (PE, PP, etc.) made up for the
majority and accounted for more than 80% of the plastics collected from the bottom of the water.
● Several varieties of heavy specific density plastics such as PVC were found at the bottom of the water.
● Artificial turf was widely present at the bottom of the water too and made up for 11.2% of the total.
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Proportion of microplastic composition
Water surface Water bottom

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Leakage mass ratio shows severity of coated fertilizers
The proportion of products in the plastic leakage varied greatly between unit ratio and mass ratio. In
particular, coated fertilizers accounted for 16.3%* of the total mass while only representing 1.1% of the
total number of collected units. From a mass ratio standpoint, it has become clear that the leakage of
coated fertilizers plays a significant part in the overall microplastic leakage problem.
*The leakage of coated fertilizers vary greatly depending on conditions and it is possible that the proportion may be even
larger depending on the region and time of year.
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Proportion of microplastic causal products per number of units Proportion of microplastic causal products per mass
Unknown
Artificial turf
Films
Other ropes
Coated
fertilizers
Ropes
Styrofoam
Tarpaulin
Unknown Artificial turf
Other ropes
Ropes
Coated fertilizers
Films
Styrofoam
Tarpaulin

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Reference: About coated fertilizers
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Fertilizers that have a plastic surface coating for a longer lifespan. Mainly used in paddy fields,
it accounts for more than 60% of the microplastic leakage in rice-growing areas.

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Extruded artificial turf (mass ratio 16%)
Other:
Tennis courts, etc.
Injection-molded artificial
turf (mass ratio 83%)
玄関マット, ゴルフ練習場など
Artificial turf leakage revealed by detailed classification and mass ratio
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Long pile:
Football (outdoor and indoor), baseball, etc.
Mass ratio of artificial
turf per type
Before
degradation
After
degradation

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Microplastic (MicP) leakage of 140 tonnes per year
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Japan’s yearly microplastic leakage was calculated to be 140 tonnes*
Artificial turf leakage accounts for 22 tonnes of 140 tonnes. Calculations made using the results of this project's survey and based on the method described in a research paper by Tokyo
University of Science and Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd. The results of the calculations by the same paper ranged from 204 to 294 tonnes/year.
(Yasuo Nihei,Takushi Yoshida,Tomoya Kataoka and Riku Ogata. Water 2020, 12, 951. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/4/951)
*The mass of PS MPs was calculated without the correction described on slide 22.
　
[2] Calculation of water
outflow volume per 1km grid
[3] Calculation of MicP leakage volume per 1km grid
The sum gives the MicP leakage volume for the whole of Japan
[1] MicP concentration for a
1km grid calculated from
MicP concentration and
urban area ratio
urban area ratio
MicP concentration
Relationship between urban area ratio and MicP concentration

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Next steps and challenges to solving the problem
1. Expand survey network and partnerships
- Domestic：Build partnerships with companies and organizations from each region and undertake research work from local governing
bodies and councilors
- International：Expand Southeast Asia survey network in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and local
universities
2. Accelerate information disclosure
- The results of this survey are published as open data in principle
- Making Pirika’s own management, analysis and open data system available to others
3. Research into the source of plastic leakage
- Dig deep into the leakage origin of products such as artificial turf (injection-molded type) that account for a large portion of plastic
leakage
- Funded as part of The Nippon Foundation‘s The Ocean and Japan Project for 2021
4. Develop technologies and businesses aimed at solving the problem
- Countermeasures for artificial turf leakage
- Countermeasures for leakage of other products
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1. Expanding survey network and partnerships
Domestic operations
- Undertake research work from local governing bodies and
councilors
- Fulfill by partnering with local businesses and organizations*
- Develop into self-sustaining business without reliance on
subsidies
Overseas operations
- Partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) for microplastic survey in the Mekong River Basin
- Fulfill by partnering with local universities and such*
* Upon completing a brief training course, each partner will be able to carry out
research using the Albatross collection equipment and systems (commercial use
permitted).
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Survey results are disclosed as open data in principle
- https://en.opendata.plastic.research.pirika.org
- Free to use, including for commercial use
- Aimed to promote problem solving and improve transparency
A system developed by Pirika for this project
- Implementation of functions such as sample management, analysis and
open data conversion
- Plans to actively make the system available to others
- Already used for research by Chiba Institute of Technology and UNEP
Global monitoring of microplastics in oceans all over the world,
Chiba Institute of Technology, Kameda Laboratory
https://www.casio.kamedalab.com
2. Accelerating information disclosure
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3. Researching the source of plastic leakage
Continued collaboration with The Nippon Foundation’s The Oceans and Japan Project for 2021.
A new survey is planned to determine the yet to be identified sources of plastic leakage.
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1. Takanome survey (litter survey using smartphones and AI)
2. Survey of potential leakage products
(collection and analysis of litter near the waterfront)

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Cooperation aimed at solving the problem of artificial turf leakage
- Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
- Shimizu Corporation
- Project IKKAKU
Other projects and collaborations aimed at solving plastic leakage
- Expand partnerships for each product and distribution
- Promote litter picking activities through the litter picking social network Pirika
4. Developing technologies and businesses to solve the problem

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×
Cooperation to solve the problem of
artificial turf leakage
Artificial turf deemed to originate
from a tennis court
Artificial turf deemed to originate
from a football ground
Artificial turf deemed to originate from panels
About Sumitomo Rubber Industries
Cooperated in:
1. Research into artificial turf
2. Provision of samples for recycling
Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ industry leading
experience and knowledge in the field of artificial turf for
sporting facilities was especially helpful in developing
the classification method for the artificial turf.

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In collaboration with the Shimizu Corporation Institute of Technology, research and development is
underway for a filter that would prevent the leakage of artificial turf via waterways. A filter accounting for
the size of the particles of artificial turf in the outflow is currently under consideration.
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×

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Retrieving artificial turf before leakage
(Help: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, etc.)
Cleaning and sorting (Help: Tokyo Institute of Science, TBM)
Small stones and rubber
chips will fall
Artificial turf is
blown away
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×
Crushing and pelletizing (Help: Heiwa Kagaku Industry) Blow molding of plastic bottles (Help: Heiwa Kagaku Industry)

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Other projects and collaborations to solve the plastic leakage problem
Expand partnerships for each product and distribution
- Cooperation with manufacturers and distributors is necessary to solve the
leakage problem, not only for extruded artificial turf but for other products too
- Injection-molded artificial turf and coated fertilizers in particular are highly
present in the leakage and require countermeasures
Promote litter picking through the Pirika litter picking social network
- Collecting litter prior to its leakage is an important, direct solution to the problem
- In the 10 years since its launch, Pirika, the litter picking social network app, has
grown to one of the world’s largest litter picking services
- So far, a total of 180 million pieces of litter have been collected in 108 countries
across the world
- Pirika will continue to expand its cooperation with local authorities and
businesses to further promote the spread of litter picking activities.
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Pick up
litter
Take photo
of the litter
Share on social
media!

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Q&A
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Ask us anything!

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Microplastics research in Japan 2020 (EN)

Microplastics research in Japan 2020 (EN)

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