Public Tests Begin for Gunpla Academia EX: Allows Public to See First-hand Recycling of Left-over Gunpla Runners (The Frames in Plastic Model Kits) Shredded and Molded Into New Plastic Products
Starting Saturday, March 18, Bandai Spirits Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Nao Udagawa; Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo) will start public testing of the Gunpla Academia EX Project, which recycles left-over Gunpla runners (the frames in plastic model kits) collected from Gunpla fans by shredding and molding them into new plastic products on the spot.
Bandai Sprits will reveal the Gunpla Academia EX Project to the public for the first time at the company’s “PLAY! PLAY! PLAMO! PARK!” plastic model events, to be held in Osaka from Saturday, March 18 – Sunday, March 19, and in Tokyo from Saturday, March 25 – Monday, March 27.
Gunpla Academia EX’s purpose, as an extension of the free Gunpla Academia* lesson package available to elementary schools across Japan, is to create opportunities for children to learn the methods used to recycle plastic models and foster their understanding of Bandai Spirits’ sustainability initiatives, the fun of manufacturing, and technological innovations.
This public testing will involve setting up a shredding machine, which shreds the collected Gunpla runners, and an injection molding machine, which melts and sets the shredded runners, at the event venues. Visitors can watch left-over Gunpla runners be reborn into new plastic products first-hand. Two Aerpla-kun keyholders (available only at the public tests) will be made every thirty seconds and will be handed out on the spot to visitors. Recipients will have the chance to hold a freshly molded product in their hand, which may even still be slightly warm depending on how soon it is after the keyholder has been made.
The Gunpla Academia EX Project aims to develop the first mobile combination shredding-injection molding machine specifically for recycling plastic models. After several more public tests, we plan to provide those at schools, facilities and events across Japan the chance to experience recycling first-hand using the newly developed mobile combination shredding-injection molding machine from Fall 2023 onwards.
*Gunpla Academia is a free lesson package for schools in Japan that combines building actual plastic models with streaming video and introduces children to the fun of manufacturing, Gunpla production processes, and plastic recycling and other sustainable initiatives carried out by Bandai Spirits. Nearly 3,800 elementary schools and 240,000 children in total across Japan have participated in the program since it began in October 2021.
PRESS RELEASE (Japanese language only)
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