TerraCycle "Tokyo Olympic podium made from 25 tons of collected plastic waste"

Interview with Eric Kawabata, TerraCycle APAC Representative
9-Month Collection Campaign with Olympic Sponsor P&G
"Voluntary Citizen Participation... First-Ever 'Eco-Friendly Podium' Created"
Diverse Recycling Campaigns with Korean Companies... "Many Inquiries about ESG Management"

"Starting with the Tokyo Olympic podium made from recycled plastic, we want to raise awareness of sustainability and create value in resource circulation through more upcycled products."

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics promoted itself as an "eco-friendly Olympics." Both the medals and the podiums were created through the voluntary participation and efforts of Japanese citizens. The medals were made from metals extracted from discarded electronic devices and mobile phones, and the podiums were also made by recycling collected waste plastic. TerraCycle, a recycling consulting company, participated in the podium production project together with P&G, an official Olympic sponsor. Over nine months, approximately 24.5 tons of waste plastic were collected through the voluntary participation of citizens at thousands of stores nationwide across Japan.

Eric Kawabata, Asia-Pacific Regional Director of TerraCycle, said in an email interview with Asia Economy on the 6th, "While considering ways to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic waste and encourage proper recycling, the idea of the 'Olympics' came to mind," adding, "because the Olympics is an emotional event that unites the whole world." He stated, "Many people’s efforts were involved from the plastic collection process, and it is very meaningful as the first-ever Olympic medal podium made from recycled plastic donated by the general public."

He mentioned that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has become more aware of the need to reduce single-use products and recycle resources. He emphasized, "Waste reduction is an important task to address the climate crisis and a direction we must move forward together," adding, "the market trend shifting toward sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity."

Eric Kawabata, Regional Director for Asia-Pacific at TerraCycle

TerraCycle is a global company that collaborates with various businesses to raise awareness about waste separation and resource circulation and conducts recycling campaigns. Since its launch in New Jersey, USA, in 2001, over 200 million people across more than 20 countries have participated in its campaigns. The total amount of recycled waste so far has reached approximately 7.7 billion items.

In South Korea, TerraCycle officially established its branch in 2017 after starting consulting projects for cosmetic container recycling in partnership with Amorepacific. Eric said, "After China banned waste imports, leading to the so-called ‘waste crisis,’ many Korean companies reached out for partnerships," adding, "Recently, there have been many inquiries about ESG management consulting and solutions for single-use waste problems caused by COVID-19." Through campaigns conducted in Korea last year, about 120 tons of plastic and other waste were recycled.

The willingness to practice eco-friendliness in Korea was also evident through TerraCycle’s "Wonderful Campaign." The Wonderful Campaign is a resource circulation campaign meaning "plastic used one more time." It collects waste plastics such as transparent PET bottles from the general public through applications. Last year, about 7,000 applicants applied, resulting in a competitive ratio of 7 to 1, showing strong participation enthusiasm. Eric said, "I felt proud seeing many participants empathize with the campaign’s purpose and leave feedback about reducing single-use products," adding, "Recently, we launched Wonderful Campaign Season 2 to enable PET bottles to be reborn not just as simple recycled materials but as high-quality resources."

TerraCycle, which exists to solve social problems rather than pursue profit, aims for a "world where recycling is unnecessary." Eric concluded by saying, "Our mission is to ‘eliminate the concept of waste,’ and if a world where recycling is unnecessary comes, I believe TerraCycle’s role will have been fulfilled."