Products Made from Marine Plastic Waste

Japan's Oceans are Dirty.

As an island nation, Japan has many tourist attractions with beautiful seas and coastlines, and we have lived by the benefits of these seas since ancient times. However, that ocean is currently facing certain problems. It is the marine debris problem. Japan is currently receiving enormous amounts of marine debris from China, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia due to the major ocean currents in the surrounding areas. In addition, westerly winds blowing from the northwest are said to cause a particularly large amount of trash to drift into the Kyushu region and the Sea of Japan side of the country. A breakdown of the trash shows that plastic products, mainly fishing equipment, make up the majority of the trash, but what would happen if the marine plastic trash that washes up on Japan's beaches today were to go undetected? The uncollected trash is washed out to sea again by wind and waves, travels with the ocean currents, and then forms a trash heap near the continental U.S. The impact of washing up on the shore and the effects of ultraviolet rays cause it to deteriorate over time into small fragments. When the debris is smaller than 5 millimeters, it is called microplastic, which not only makes it difficult to collect, but also increases the risk of accidental ingestion by birds and marine organisms. Microplastics are also difficult to collect. And it is clear that plastics, which do not disappear but remain in nature even after they become smaller, cause significant damage to ecosystems. The marine debris problem is by no means a Japan-only issue, but one that must be addressed by the entire world.

Why Did You Decide to Make Products from Marine Plastic Waste?

Buoy is a brand born from a plastics manufacturer called Techno-lab. Techno-lab has manufactured many plastics with the desire to make the world a better place. Plastic has become an integral part of our daily lives and has made many things possible. On the other hand, the amount of plastic produced is increasing every year, and the large amount of plastic that flows into the ocean is becoming a global issue. Plastic is produced for mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal, and as the term "disposable plastic" suggests, there is no resistance to throwing it away because it is so easily and cheaply obtained. It is this consumption behavior that has created the current problem. We, plastic manufacturers, have been manufacturing plastics to meet someone's expectations and to help people to improve society. However, I am saddened by the fact that plastic is now treated as if it were a bad thing, and at the same time I wonder if there is something we can do because we are a plastic manufacturer. In addition, as we work with volunteer groups that conduct beach cleanups around Japan, we often hear people say, "No matter what we pick up, it just gets buried, and a week or a month later it's back to the same state again, and it's just the same thing over and over again. I wanted to help the local people who have been protecting Japan's clean oceans. We buy marine plastic waste as raw material for our products from various regions for value as material. This is because there is a limit to how much beach cleanups can be carried out by volunteers with only good intentions. In order to pass on Japan's clean oceans to the next generation, beach cleanup activities must be sustainable. buoy exists with the desire to take discarded plastic and bring it back into society, to make products that someone will love again, and to sustainably support people in various regions of Japan who are suffering from marine debris.

Special Technology that Made the Impossible Possible

Technolab has developed a unique molding method that allows us to make products with 100% marine plastic by utilizing our accumulated knowledge of plastics and manufacturing technologies. No coloring or mixtures are used, and the resulting product brings out the natural color of the garbage. There are nearly 100 types of plastics in existence, and each material has a completely different melting point because it has been developed according to its use and function. Therefore, it is necessary to separate all of these materials by type in order to recycle them as raw materials, but this is not possible with marine debris. This is because we do not know where the litter came from or what it was originally made of, and it may have shellfish, sand, or other materials that are not plastic in the first place. For this reason, marine debris is not recycled, nor is it incinerated because the salt on it can cause breakdowns if it is put in an incinerator. However, in order to deal with marine plastic waste that has nowhere to go, we have succeeded in molding it without sorting it, adjusting the appropriate temperature, pressure, and time, even if it has some shellfish and sand on it. When one thinks of plastic products, mass production comes to mind, but at buoy, we do not mass produce, and the entire manufacturing process is done by hand. Since we do not know what kind of materials are mixed in the marine plastic waste material until we melt it, it is necessary to check and adjust the molding process one by one. Finally, there is a process called "deburring," which involves shaping each piece with a cutter knife, and all of the work is done by hand. It is only possible because of the delicate and careful work of our craftsmen. Also, the fact that the product is made of 100% marine debris means that the weight of the product = the weight of the collected debris. We want customers who pick up our products to feel the fact that so much trash has fallen and that there are people who collected it. Buoy's products are plastic, but they are one-of-a-kind "crafts" that can never be thrown away or obtained again.

Description of Place of Origin (Waste Collection Area)

Buoy is a business that is made possible by people who collect marine debris throughout Japan. That is why the main actor is the volunteer organization, and we hope that buoys will be a chance for people who pick up the products to learn about the current situation in the area where the garbage is collected and the charm of the land. For this reason, buoy sells all of its products with a QR code that allows you to jump to the place of origin (the area where the marine debris was collected) and the organization's information. You may want to express your gratitude through social networking sites, etc., or you may want to visit the area. Your thoughts and feelings will surely encourage local volunteer groups.

a Brand that Exists to One Day Disappear

Buoy's goal is to use its products and this initiative as a catalyst for beach cleanup activities, so that no more trash will be picked up and no more products will be made. Buoy's unique colors and patterns have attracted many people. It is our responsibility as a plastic manufacturer to communicate the "now" of the oceans and to create products that will bring discarded plastic back into society and make someone love it again. With the goal of one day eliminating buoys, we will continue to deliver our products to everyone today with our thoughts and feelings.