Toyo Ink and LION Jointly Achieve Horizontal Recycling for Refill Packs

Through a joint development effort between Toyo Ink Co., Ltd. of the artience group and LION Corporation, "horizontal recycling" of refill packs has been achieved.

The packaging for LION's "Acron Floral Bouquet Scent, Large Refill," launching in a limited release in May, will reuse laminated film (manufacturing scrap) left over from the production of the "Look Plus Bathtub Cleansing Large Refill" that was commercialized in 2024. This was made possible by refining the "delamination recycling technology"—which removes printing ink and separates different types of films—that the artience group has been validating for many years, in close cooperation with LION Corporation.

The artience group is promoting plastic resource circulation under its sustainability vision, asv2050/2030. Flexible packaging consists of multiple layers of materials such as polyolefins and polyesters, making it difficult to remove printing inks and adhesives, which has been a barrier to material recycling. The company has established technology to remove inks and adhesives, facilitating the recycling of used plastics.

In this project, the delamination recycling technology was refined, and high-purity recycled polyethylene was recovered at a pilot plant by separating the surface film and polyethylene film. Following performance verification, it was selected for use in "Acron." A dedicated icon will be displayed on the back of the refill packs.

Looking ahead, the company is recruiting cross-industry organizations, including the food industry as well as daily necessities, to participate in joint studies to achieve the social implementation of recycling. Furthermore, in addition to material development, the company has signed joint development agreements with Aikawa Iron Works Co., Ltd. and Hagiwara Industries Co., Ltd. to work on the development of process technologies such as washing, de-inking, and separation of different materials.