Our university Faculty of Environmental Earth Science and Nippon Yamamura Glass Co., Ltd. have begun joint research to explore the possibility of promoting the decomposition of biodegradable plastic products using enzymes and bacteria.

Nippon Yamamura Glass Co., Ltd.'s Plastic Company primarily produces and sells plastic caps for beverages. Currently, biodegradable plastics are not used in plastic beverage caps because they require strict environmental management and a very long decomposition time. This research will pursue the possibility of accelerating the decomposition rate of these biodegradable plastics, and will consider expanding the use not only to caps but also to other uses.

For more information, please click here. *Go to Hokkaido University’s website.