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Bandai Gives Away Recycled Plastic 'EcoPla' Gunpla Kits For Recycling Day
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Bandai Namco Group is launching a "Gundam Recycle Strategy" campaign starting from Recycling Day on October 20. "EcoPla" plastic model kits made out of recycled materials will be distributed at the Gundam Base Tokyo and other select stores around Japan alongside informational booklets in order to educate the public about recycling.
The campaign will last for a month, and it will conclude with a finale event at Tokyo's Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Triangle Square on November 20 and 21. The venue will sell EcoPla kits and contain an installation visualizing the Gundam Recycle Project and Gundam Recycle Strategy.
The Gunpla Recycle Project is a joint project between Bandai Namco Holdings, Bandai Spirits, Bandai Amusement, and Bandai Logipal. The companies aim to use cutting-edge chemical recycling technology to repurpose Gundam plastic models (otherwise known as Gunpla) into new builds. Since April 1, around 190 facilities operated by Bandai Namco Amusement, starting with every Namco store in Japan, have installed a recycling box. The collected materials will be sent to the Bandai Hobby Center in Shizuoka, which handles Gunpla production. It is anticipated that 10 tons of plastic will be recycled in a year.
Bandai Namco Group aims to attain a 35% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. It aims to implement new energy-saving and sustainable technologies across all of its amusement facilities, factories, office spaces, and other areas of operation.
The group announced its "Gundam Universal Century Development Action" sustainability project in June, which aims to address problems related to human population and the earth's environment by platforming new ideas and technology.
The Gundam Factory Yokohama, the facility which houses a life-size RX-78-2 Gundam statue, has been powered by Yokohama City's Hama Wing wind power plant since May. The facility currently generates zero carbon emissions from electricity.
Sources: Gundam.Info, Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan-Web
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
