Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; President: Kaoru Asano) has become the first in the industry to obtain certification for its business plan for "collection and recycling by manufacturers and retailers" under the Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics ("Plastic Resource Circulation Act”) * in Japan.
This certification will exempt us from obtaining a license from each local government to collect industrial waste when the company collects used plastic reagent containers from medical institutions nationwide. Thus, our business plan to recycle five tons of used plastics per year will be accelerated. It will also become possible to expand the range of items that are made by closed-loop recycling, which will contribute to reducing costs. Going forward, we will continue to strive to realize a sustainable, circular resource society.
Traditionally, it was common practice to use disposable products for medical care, but the healthcare industry is now placing greater emphasis on environmentally conscious global sustainability initiatives. Sysmex aims to create a sustainable society, taking the environmental impact of its operations into account. We have been promoting activities to realize a circular resource value chain under our “Eco-Social Strategy”. So far, we have adopted closed-loop recycled containers made from used plastic containers generated at our own factories for our products and released them, and we also started collecting used plastic containers for our reagent products from medical institutions in Kobe. To promote these efforts, we and our group subsidiary have obtained licenses to dispose of and collect and transport industrial waste in accordance with the Act on Waste Management and Public Cleaning.
Sysmex aims to establish a circular resource model by expanding the application of closed-loop recycled containers to its main products, and it plans to collect used containers from its medical institutions nationwide, with a focus on those in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The Japanese government is also striving to establish a framework for implementing plastic resource circulation and to transition to a circular economy, working to strengthen the comprehensive resource circulation system through the Plastic Resource Circulation Act.
Sysmex has recently become the first in the healthcare industry and the sixth overall to obtain certification for its "collection and recycling by manufacturers and retailers" business plan granted by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Minister of the Environment in Japan. As a result, we will no longer need to obtain a license to collect and transport medical waste from the local government where such institutions are located, allowing us to accelerate the increase in the amount of waste collected.
Furthermore, with an eye on expanding our certified business plan, we have begun discussions with distributors that have extensive logistics networks. This collaboration aims to facilitate the collection and transportation of used containers from medical institutions.
Sysmex, as a company in the healthcare industry, is committed to pioneering a new approach to the collection and recycling of used products, thereby contributing to the realization of a sustainable future.
A circular resource value chain
*Certification by the Plastic Resource Circulation Act (as indicated by 1 and 2 in green) allows Sysmex to collect and recycle the used containers nationwide, without licenses under the Act on Waste Management and Public Cleaning.
*Collection and transportation have been outsourced to our group subsidiary. Sysmex begins a discussion with a distributor having extensive logistics networks for outsourcing these operations (as of June 2025).
Terminology
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The Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics (Plastic Resource Circulation Act): |
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An act that came into effect in April 2022 to promote plastic resource circulation and other efforts (3R+Renewable) among all entities
involved in activities ranging from product design to plastic waste processing. A new framework aimed at expanding voluntary
collection and recycling of plastic products in order to reduce environmental burden and to achieve a circular society. |
About Sysmex Corporation
Sysmex Corporation, headquartered in Kobe, Japan, is a global leader in in vitro diagnostics. Since its foundation in 1968, Sysmex has focused on diagnostics as the core of its business, and today, it supports the health of people in over 190 countries and regions worldwide. Sysmex continues to innovate in diagnostics, and to collaboratively create unique values in the areas of personalized medicine and novel treatments, under its long-term vision of "Together for a better healthcare journey." Through its unique technology, solutions, and co-creation with various partners, Sysmex delivers new value and addresses the universal desire of people to live longer and healthier lives. For more information about Sysmex, please visit www.sysmex.co.jp/en/.
* "Healthcare journey" is a trademark of Sysmex Corporation, registered in Japan.
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- The purpose of this news release is to communicate our business activities to our stakeholders. It may or may not include information about Sysmex's products or their research and development, but this is not intended for promotion, advertising or medical advice. The information contained in this news release is current as of the date of the announcement but may be subject to change without prior notice.