Sustainable Use of Resources
and Raw Materials

In April 2021, we launched the Gunpla Recycling Project as a joint initiative involving all four companies of the Bandai Namco Group (Bandai Namco Holdings, Bandai Spirits, Bandai Namco Amusement, and Bandai Logipal). Under this project, we collect runners (plastic surrounds for plastic model parts) from Gunpla, plastic models in the Gundam Series, so that they can be recycled into new plastic model products using the cutting-edge technology of chemical recycling. The project aims to contribute to the formation of a recycling-oriented society together with plastic model fans.

The collected runners are transported to Bandai Hobby Center, the plastic model production plant of Bandai Spirits, where they are combined with plastic emitted from the plant’s production process. Some of the materials are used as test materials for verification testing to help realize chemical recycling, and the remainder is reused in material recycling and thermal recycling.

Around 21 tons were collected in fiscal 2022.

The Bandai Namco Group has collected and recycled Gashapon capsules since 2006. In September 2021, Bandai, Bandai Namco Amusement, and Bandai Logipal jointly started Gashapon Capsule Recycling, an initiative to further expand these recycling efforts. (Amount collected in fiscal 2022: Approx. 30 tons)

The collected empty capsules are turned into pellets (recycled pellets), which are the raw materials for capsules, and then they are mixed with ordinary pellets (virgin pellets) to form the capsules. At present, recycled pellets account for about 20% of new capsules.

Gasha Point Stations, empty capsule collection boxes, are placed at Capsule Toy Stores and Gashapon Bandai Official Shops. This makes empty capsule collection an enjoyable experience for customers.

With the aim of reducing the amount of petroleum-derived plastic used, Bandai began introducing recycled materials in Gashapon capsules in 2021. In addition, we have made improvements such as changing the constituent material of the capsules, which previously had two types, to one type of polypropylene to make it easier to recycle.

In 2022, we also started the test run of the “MAP capsule,” which uses paper as its primary raw material. We will continue to conduct research and work to further reduce the use of petroleum-derived plastics.

As part of our efforts to reduce food loss and waste, which is a significant social issue, Bandai has conducted repeated verification testing on its mainstay confectionery products Fishing Gummy, Tray Gummy series, Ramune soda candies, and Desserts. Five years of this research has helped to extend the best-before date of these products. Furthermore, the company has worked to reduce product and raw material losses in the production process and extend the sales period. As a result, we have reduced food loss and waste by 10.5 tons annually.

At the venue for THE IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 5thLIVE If I wings., which was held in March 2023, we implemented an initiative to collect unnecessary clothing from attendees. Boxes were set up at the venue to collect old clothes from fans in attendance.

The collected clothing is recycled into new reusable materials. We reused these materials in panels at THE IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 5.5th Anniversary LIVE event.

Bandai Namco Technica, a supplier of arcade games, has been promoting recycling initiatives since 2010 to ensure that limited resources are still available in the future. We carefully separate metals, printed circuit boards (PCB), wiring, and HDDs that are replaced during the course of maintenance and other work. In fiscal 2022, we recycled approximately 6.6 tons of materials and components.

Artpresto has been working to recycle waste plastics from its plants since 2017. The company outsources the recycling of packaging material waste from its production lines to its partner RPF^* production plants.

RPF is a high-calorie solid fuel made primarily from recovered paper and waste plastics that are difficult to conduct material recycling. It effectively reduces greenhouse gas (CO₂) emissions by one-third compared to the same amount of heat obtained when burning coal. RPF conversion of waste plastics is stipulated in Japan’s new plastics law as an energy recovery method. In fiscal 2022, Artpresto recycled approximately 71 tons of waste plastics as RPF.

Refuse derived paper and plastics densified fuel. RPF is an alternative to fossil fuels such as coal, coke, and heavy oil, used for high-efficiency heating by major paper manufacturers (power generation and manufacturing processes), limestone companies, and biomass power plants (assisted combustion).