The Pioneer the possible platform sets out to bring forward solutions to key sustainability challenges in Japan, by combining Swedish and Japanese innovation strengths and know-how.
Each year, Pioneer the possible Japan will focus on a number of concrete thematic areas, within which we will call on Swedish and Japanese stakeholders to work together to define common sustainability challenges, visions for the future, and joint initiatives to drive progress.
This year's themes are Mobility and Circularity.
Accelerating Japan's transition to Zero-emission vehicles
Carbon emissions from automobiles account for about 16% of the total emissions in Japan. To meet its emissions reductions targets as well as support the global effort to keep warming to under 1.5 C, it is crucial for Japan to rapidly transition away from fossil-powered vehicles to Zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) in both commercial and private sectors. However, in 2020, only 0.6% of new passenger vehicle sales in Japan were of ZEVs, compared to 10% in Europe.
Key enablers for Japan to accelerate its transition to ZEVs include:
Team Sweden and AstraZeneca K.K. are now calling for partners to join forces in addressing this challenge through common initiatives and advocacy.
Increasing the recycling rate of carton packages in Japan
The food industry as a whole accounts for about 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A large portion of these emissions come from the dairy industry, but they also include emissions related to containers and packaging.
Tetra Pak's aseptic carton technology enables room temperature, long-term storage of beverages and liquid food products, helping to reduce energy consumption and food waste. In addition, the containers are on average made to 70% from paper, meaning they contain a very high ratio of potentially renewable resources.
On the other hand, whilst containers and packaging account for 20% of all waste generated in Japan, the recycling rate for paper packages is 30% for chilled cartons, and just under 4% for aseptic cartons - in both cases, the majority of packages are instead incinerated. When compared to plastic bottles and cans, 90% of which are currently recycled, these are very low numbers.
Tetra Pak believes that recycling and upcycling of paper packages will contribute to the effective use of our limited resources and the realization of a decarbonized society. To increase the recycling rates for paper containers in Japan, we want to:
Team Sweden and Tetra Pak are calling for partners to jointly take on the challenges of recycling, upcycling and circularity. We hope to involve municipalities and governmental stakeholders, recyclers, chemical companies, academic experts, and other companies who believe they have something to contribute to solving this challenge.