Teijin's Technology for Chemical Recycling of Polyester to be Used for Uniforms in China

 Teijin Limited, Onward Holdings Co., Ltd. and Fuji Xerox Co, Ltd. announced that they will launch a closed-loop recycling system for uniforms in China. The system is based on Teijin's ECO CIRCLE^*1 that incorporates the world's first technology for the chemical recycling of polyester.

Nantong Teijin Co., Ltd. , the Teijin group's polyester textile manufacturing and processing company, weaves and dyes recyclable polyester textiles, which are then used for the uniforms designed and produced by Onward Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a Shanghai-based Onwardgroup company engaged in the design, manufacturing and sales of uniforms. From January 2014, the uniform will be worn by 500 customer engineers^*2 at Fuji Xerox (China) Limited, a Beijing-based Fuji Xerox sales company, and 200 production line workers at Fuji Xerox Eco-Manufacturing (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., which recycles used copiers, printers and cartridges.

The uniforms will be collected after their useful lives and sent to the recycling plant of Zhejiang Jiaren New Materials Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Teijin and Jinggong Holding Group in Shaoxing that chemically recycles polyester products as well as produces and sells recycled polyester fibers.

After chemical decomposition, the uniforms will be converted into polyester raw material offering purity comparable to polyester derived directly from petroleum. The raw material then will be turned into high-quality polyester, which Onward Trading (Shanghai) will use to produce new uniforms for Fuji Xerox in China, thereby minimizing the consumption of natural resources.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Fuji Xerox's Chinese subsidiaries and Onward Trading (Shanghai) in a mutual commitment to sustainability through recycling," said Hiroaki Mimori, president of Nantong Teijin. "The Teijin Group has been operating its ECO CIRCLE recycling program in China since 2009. Beginning with the startup of Zhejiang Jiaren New Materials' recycling plant next year, we intend to steadily expand our environmental initiatives in this fast-growing market."

The collaborative initiative of Teijin, Onward and Fuji Xerox represents their commitment to reducing environmental burden in China through the development, manufacturing, usage and recycling of uniforms that are functional, comfortable and safety-conscious realizing antistatic.

Yasuaki Nakagawa, president of Onward Trading (Shanghai) said, "By combining Teijin's world's-first closed-loop recycling system and Onward's clothing design, production and merchandising capabilities, our collaborative scheme will facilitate Fuji Xerox's belief that used products are valuable resources, not waste. We would like for our initiative to lower environmental impact while raising environmental consciousness in China."

Masataka Jo, president and CEO of Fuji Xerox (China) and the chief representative of Fuji Xerox in China said, "The three companies all commit to helping reduce environmental loads with our technologies, which led us to establishing this uniform recycling scheme. I expect that this system will raise our employees' awareness to protect environment. Fuji Xerox continues such initiatives, also by offering energy-saving products and solutions, aiming to contributing to growth and reduction of environmental loads in China."

Positioning China as an important market, the three firms continue their efforts to contribute to building a sustainable society in China by expanding the closed-loop recycling system.

*1 ECO CIRCLE is a closed-loop recycling system developed by the Teijin Group. The system employs the world's first technology for chemical recycling, which chemically decomposes polyester for conversion into new polyester raw materials that offer quality and purity comparable to those derived directly from petroleum. Repeated recycling achieved with the ECO CIRCLE system significantly reduces both energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional petroleum-based processes for polyester production. Teijin works with over 150 registered apparel, sportswear and uniform manufacturers worldwide to develop and manufacture products made from recyclable materials, as well as to collect and recycle these products at the end of their useful lives.

*2 Fuji Xerox (China) engineers will only wear pants.

Source: Teijin Group