24-Jun-19, The Japan Times
Convenience store operator 7-Eleven Japan said it will start selling all of its rice balls in wraps made of biomass plastics, possibly from July, as it aims to reduce the use of fossil-fuel-derived materials.
%20The%20Japan%20Times.jpg "7 Eleven Japan to wrap its billions of rice balls in bioplastic (c) The Japan Times")
Image: The Japan Times
The company’s move, affecting the some of 2.2 billion onigiri rice balls it sells annually, comes as more firms adopt plant-derived plastics amid the government's calls for reducing plastic waste to prevent marine pollution.
By replacing part of the wrapping with a sugar cane-derived material, 7-Eleven estimates it can reduce the use of plastic by 260 tons and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 403 tons a year.