Sustainability ・ BLUE NOVA Hydrogen Journal Editorial Team ・

RIKEN VITAMIN and Puchipuchi co-develop masterbatch made from recycled raw materials

The masterbatch, which uses recycled raw materials, has been used in some Puchipuchi bubble cushioning products since April 2026.

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RIKEN VITAMIN and Puchipuchi co-develop masterbatch made from recycled raw materials
画像: PR TIMES（プレスリリースより）

RIKEN VITAMIN Co., Ltd. (Shinjuku, Tokyo) announced on October 20, 2026, that it has co-developed a masterbatch using recycled raw materials with Puchipuchi Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda, Tokyo). The developed product has been used in some of Puchipuchi's bubble cushioning products since April 2026.

A masterbatch is a plastic pellet product in which functional additives, such as antistatic agents, are kneaded into plastic at high concentrations. Shaping it into pellets of the same form as common plastic raw materials makes it easier to add to resins.

Puchipuchi Co., Ltd. has set out a mission to establish a system for plastic resource circulation. Recycled raw materials already accounted for 98% of its main bubble cushioning products. To further raise the recycling rate, it was essential to make the masterbatch, which provides antistatic properties, from recycled raw materials.

For RIKEN VITAMIN, developing a masterbatch using recycled raw materials was a first. Although there were challenges in hygiene and stability of quality, the company worked on the project under a policy of thoroughly using recycled raw materials, even in small proportions.

Recycled plastics are difficult to keep at stable quality because of foreign matter in collected materials and deterioration. Additives affect product performance even in small amounts, so converting them to recycled raw materials is highly difficult.

BLUE NOVA Hydrogen Journal view

In plastic resource circulation, the challenge is extending the switch to recycled raw materials beyond the main product body to small components such as additives. This joint development is an example of a materials maker and a product maker working together on that difficult part. Converting an additive to recycled raw materials, while the recycled content of the main product is already high, leads to improvements in the remaining areas. The next point to watch is expansion to other products.

Source: PR TIMES
This article was written by the editors based on the cited report and translated from Japanese. AI is used to assist in writing and translation.

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