MOE Launches Online Tool to Calculate Reduced Life Cycle Impacts on Environment of Retailers' 3R Activities

On April 17, 2012, Japan's Ministry of the Environment (MOE) unveiled an online tool that helps calculate and visualize the effects of supermarkets and other retailers' efforts in reducing their environmental impacts by practicing the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle). MOE developed the tool and made it available on its website to promote the 3Rs towards the development of a recycling-oriented society.

The tool calculates the effects of 25 types of actions related to the 3Rs, including selling food without using plastic trays for packaging, selling beverages by refilling containers that consumers bring in, and recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. As a user types in the
outcome achieved through a specific action, such as the total weight of containers collected, the tool calculates the reduction of environmental impacts throughout the product's life cycle, from procurement of raw materials to manufacturing, transportation, and disposal. To make the calculation possible, MOE quantified reductions of life cycle environmental impacts per action based on existing research.

MOE hopes that many businesses and consumers will use the calculator, including for communicating retailers' 3R initiatives to consumers, promoting sales of private brand products (e.g., products packaged in light-weight containers), launching joint initiatives between businesses and consumers, and providing opportunities for local environmental education.

MOE Releases Basic Plan for Sound Material-Cycle Society (Related JFS article)
Community, Local Government Working Together to Reduce Use of Plastic Bags in Oita Prefecture (Related JFS article)

Posted: 2012/07/30 06:00:15 AM