Six companies — Shigen Junkan Systems Co., Ltd., Taiei Kankyou Co., Ltd., Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP), BIPROGY Inc., Mie Chuo Kaihatsu Co., Ltd., and Yagikuma Co., Ltd. — have been selected for the Ministry of the Environment’s “Fiscal Year 2026 Programme Supporting Advanced Social-Implementation Models for Plastic Resource Circulation.” The consortium will work to build and validate a resource circulation system that links AI-assisted sorting at construction sites, quality assurance and improvement through material recovery processes, and the development of end markets for recycled materials — all targeting plastic waste generated at construction sites.
Plastic waste from construction sites is highly diverse in material type and shape, and is prone to contamination and foreign-matter adhesion. Three interrelated challenges — sorting accuracy on site, quality assurance after material recovery, and securing end markets for recycled materials — have long impeded resource circulation. To address these challenges, the project will build and validate a digitally and AI-enabled resource circulation system that integrates every stage from waste generation and sorting at the construction site through collection, material recovery, product manufacturing, and end-market development.
The pilot will use construction sites operated by Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. in the Kinki region as its test field. Each participating company will contribute its specialist expertise toward expanding material recycling of construction-site plastic waste, with the aim of establishing a scalable social-implementation model. The implementation period runs from June 25, 2026 to February 26, 2027.
There are three main areas of verification.
- Advancing on-site sorting with AI: material identification and sorting support via an AI-assisted sorting system; visualisation of sorting conditions using AI cameras; promoting behavioural change among workers through sorting feedback; and validation of a sorting model aimed at improving the material recycling rate.
- Quality assurance through material recovery processes: advanced sorting, washing, and pelletising of construction-site plastic waste to achieve stable production of recycled feedstock centred on PP (polypropylene) and PE (polyethylene), with verification of quality and yield.
- Expanding end markets for recycled materials: application testing for practical uses such as building materials and construction ancillary materials; development of high-value-added applications such as artworks made from recycled materials; quantitative assessment of environmental value through LCA (life cycle assessment); and exploration of a traceability infrastructure.
The roles of each company are as follows.
- Shigen Junkan Systems: overall coordination, project design, and progress management
- Taiei Kankyou: material recovery process design and business feasibility assessment
- DNP: quantitative assessment of environmental value through LCA
- BIPROGY: AI-assisted sorting, data visualisation, and digital transformation areas including traceability
- Mie Chuo Kaihatsu: collection and material recovery, and development of high-value-added products
- Yagikuma: material compounding technology and development of practical-use materials
- (Cooperating company) Daiwa House Industry: provision of pilot test fields and evaluation of recycled-material products
Including this six-company project, the Ministry of the Environment has selected eight projects from a wide range of sectors — including construction, retail, and local government — under the programme, and the development of social-implementation models for plastic resource circulation is advancing across these fields.
【Press Release】Six-Company Joint Pilot Project Selected for the Ministry of the Environment’s “Fiscal Year 2026 Programme Supporting Advanced Social-Implementation Models for Plastic Resource Circulation”
【Press Release】Six-Company Joint Pilot Project Selected for the Ministry of the Environment’s “Fiscal Year 2026 Programme Supporting Advanced Social-Implementation Models for Plastic Resource Circulation”
【Press Release】Six-Company Joint Pilot Project Selected for the Ministry of the Environment’s “Fiscal Year 2026 Programme Supporting Advanced Social-Implementation Models for Plastic Resource Circulation”
【Reference】Announcement of Projects Selected Under the Fiscal Year 2026 Programme Supporting Advanced Social-Implementation Models for Plastic Resource Circulation
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【Related Article】Ministry of the Environment Selects Eight Advanced Projects for Plastic Resource Circulation, Expanding Pilots in Construction and Retail Sectors Including Cainz and Shimizu Corporation
※ Images in this article are sourced from the press releases.
