In Japan, Neste and Mitsubishi Corporation agreed to establish a strategic partnership focusing on developing value chains for renewable chemicals and plastics for and with Japanese brands. The partners are targeting brands in industries such as food and beverage, apparel, and consumer electronics. Through the partnership, Neste and MC aim to accelerate their efforts to […]
In Japan, ORIX Corporation announced an order for three environmentally friendly ships, including two methanol dual-fuel bulk carriers. The new vessels comply with the International Maritime Organization’s reinforced greenhouse gas reduction targets and meet the Energy Efficiency Design Index Phase 3 standards, which come into effect in 2025. This order represents ORIX’s first foray into […]
In Japan, researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a concrete alternative from food waste, namely coffee grounds, banana peels, Chinese cabbage and orange skins. The material is made by drying and compressing the waste before mixing with water and “seasonings,” according to Yanko Design. The material is then further compressed in a mold […]
In Japan, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced Japan’s first sustainability-linked lease agreement with Tokyo Century Corporation through its subsidiary MOL Chemical Tankers for the chemical tanker BONITA ANA. The lease agreement includes performance targets that, when met, will reduce lease payments, linking financial benefits to environmental achievements. Tokyo Century’s framework, utilizing a Japanese Operating Lease […]
In Japan, ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for a design concept of the hydrogen-fueled engine compatible 5,000KL oil tanker with electric propulsion system developed by UYENO TRANSTECH LTD., YANMAR POWER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. This is the world’s first AiP certification for the design of an oil tanker […]
In Japan, researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a living robot capable of smiling in response to stimuli. The creepy, two-dimensional breakthrough came by growing skin on a humanoid robot. While such robots have been made before, the living portion was attached to the robotic portion in a way caused damage with skin […]
In Japan, researchers at Chiba University have converted melanin sourced from cuttlefish ink into a bioplastic. “From a resource perspective, the melanin concentrated in the ink sacs of cuttlefish and squid is easily recoverable natural melanin, said Associate Professor Michinari Kohri from the Graduate School of Engineering, who led the study. “The catch of squid […]
In Japan, IHI Corporation together with the Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE), a research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, has been working on the development of technology for the synthesis of sustainable aviation fuel. IHI Corporation stated that the decision has now been taken to proceed […]
In Japan, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company has begun producing bio-methanol at a just-completed facility within the company’s Niigata Plant, becoming the first producer of bio-methanol from digester gas in Japan. Last year, MGC concluded a basic agreement with Niigata Prefecture to purchase and sell digester gas generated at the Niigogawa Sewage Treatment Center, which is […]
In Japan, Toyota Tsusho Corporation announced that Kumamoto Forest Generation, jointly invested by Toyota Tsusho Group company Ene-Vision Co., Chubu Electric Power Co., and Toho Gas Co, completed construction on the Yatsushiro Biomass Power Plant and began commercial operations on June 16, 2024. The power plant is a wood-burning biomass power plant that will generate […]
