JFE Engineering Corporation
J&T Recycling Corporation
JFE Steel Corporation
JFE Plastic Resource Corporation

A group* (hereinafter "the Group") led by J&T Recycling Corporation (President: Hiroyuki Haseba, Head Office: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, hereinafter "J&T Recycling"), a subsidiary of JFE Engineering Corporation (President: Kazuyoshi Fukuda, Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), has applied for a public proposal-based bidding process conducted by Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, for the sorting and recycling of municipal plastic waste, and has been selected as a candidate for contract award.

This public call was conducted for operators with a proven track record in the sorting and recycling of used plastics. Going forward, Fukuyama City aims to obtain certification from the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry under Article 33 of the "Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics" (Act No. 60 of 2021) and plans to proceed with the formulation and implementation of a recycling plan in collaboration with the Group.

In this project, used plastics collected from the households of Fukuyama City's 450,000 residents will first be intermediately processed at a newly established sorting and baling line in the Fukuyama area, operated by J&T Recycling. The baled plastics will then be recycled as raw material for coke oven chemical feedstock at the Fukuyama Recycling Plant of JFE Plastic Resource Corporation (President: Ryosuke Horie, Head Office: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture). The recycled raw material will be fed into the coke ovens at the West Japan Works (Fukuyama Area) of JFE Steel Corporation (President: Masayuki Hirose, Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), where it will be effectively utilized as a resource essential to the steelmaking process, contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

The service period is planned for three years, starting in April 2028. By having the JFE Group handle everything from sorting and intermediate processing to recycling and utilization at the steel works in an integrated manner, this initiative will promote regional circular resource recycling in Fukuyama City. This is a regional circular resource recycling model in which approximately 5,000 tons of used plastics per year are processed--from sorting and recycling to utilization at the steel works--within a radius of approximately 10 km.

Going forward, the JFE Group will continue to collaborate across its companies to further promote the recycling of used plastics, aiming for sustainable growth and contributing to the realization of a circular economy.

* Representative Company: J&T Recycling Corporation
Member Companies: JFE Plastic Resource Corporation, Naws Corporation, Murakami Kaihatsu Co., Ltd.