Mitsui Chemicals and UNEP Support Asian Startups Helping to Reduce Plastic Waste
2020.05.21
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) today announced that it has selected three innovative Asian startups to receive support under the Asia–Pacific Low-Carbon Lifestyles Challenge (APLCLC), a program run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP; Nairobi, Kenya; Executive Director: Inger Andersen). With the APLCLC serving to support environmental startups, the Mitsui Chemicals Group will grant $10,000 to the three selected companies and work with UNEP to offer them technical guidance and managerial support.
Overview of the Asia–Pacific Low-Carbon Lifestyles Challenge
"This program solicits submissions from a wide range of Asian startups and selects around 10 companies per year across the three categories of low-carbon energy, plastic waste prevention and low-carbon mobility. More than 100 companies entered the challenge this year. In partnership with a number of companies and organizations, which include Mitsui Chemicals, the program provides such support as grants, technical guidance and advice on corporate management.
Overview of the Three Selected Startups
- AYA Cup (Vietnam) : http://ayacup.com/en_gb/
Provides a system that promotes the use of reusable cups at universities and event venues.
- REMAKEHUB (China) : http://www.remakehub.co/
Recovers discarded fishing nets and recycles them into sunglasses frames and other products.
- The Green Road (Bhutan)
Offers a low-cost road paving solution that uses plastic waste as an alternative to asphalt.
Having established a Corporate Sustainability Division in April 2018, the Mitsui Chemicals Group is actively incorporating elements of sustainability into its management and business strategy, pursuing a transformation of its business model to realize a cohesive society that is in harmony with the environment and health and happiness in an aging society. As a chemical company whose mainstay products and services involve plastics, Mitsui Chemicals regards the twin problems of climate change and plastic waste as key social issues that must be tackled seriously by means of an integrated response and intends to contribute to creating a circular economy.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP works with governments, the private sector, civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.