Japan will replace cosmetic packaging hoses with metal cans in 2020

In the context of rising awareness of environmental issues such as marine plastics, the trend of discontinuing the sale of cosmetic packaging materials in tube products and switching to metal cans has expanded. The international community has taken a severe look at Japan, which discharges a large amount of plastic waste, and it may accelerate the change to metal cans in 2020.

Kyodo News Agency of Japan reported that in the 'Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Unbounded' in Odaiba, Tokyo, which is popular with foreign tourists, a corner of the museum where the top-class works extends, and a quiet resting space is placed with a vending machine. In the meantime, beverages have been changed from cosmetic packaging material hoses to aluminum cans in September 2019.

A male high school student from the Czech Republic said: 'It's great! Not using cosmetic packaging hoses is good for the planet.' A company employee in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Ezaki Sana waited and said, 'I saw metal canned water for the first time The same applies to the charging of plastic belts, and I hope to promote such measures.” According to the person in charge of the facility, many people have bought special products.

Although metal cans have the disadvantage that they cannot be closed once they are opened, the emergence of aluminum cans with switchable screw caps has solved this problem. Taking advantage of the reduction of plastic waste, the annual domestic consumption of aluminum cans has continued to increase since 2014, which has exceeded the 20 billion cans mark, and the recycling rate has also exceeded 90%. It seems to be well received as a container with both convenience and environmental protection. .

This trend has expanded among officials and people. In 2019, in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, the vending machine in the government building stopped supplying cosmetic packaging materials in tube products and changed to metal cans or paper cups. Toyonaka City in Osaka Prefecture also adopted the same approach.

Fujitsu's 1,500 vending machines will end the supply of beverages in hoses for cosmetic packaging materials at the end of 2019. By March this year, domestic group companies also suspended sales. It is reported that about 7 million cosmetic packaging hoses can be reduced every year.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Japanese citizens discharge about 32 kilograms of plastic container waste every year, second only to the United States and second in the world. There is an urgent need to take effective measures to reduce emissions.