JP Act on Promoting Advanced Recycling for Resource Circulation
ENFORCEMENT TIMELINE
Full implementation in Autumn 2025 (Within 18 months of promulgation)
Overview
The Act on Promoting Advanced Recycling for Resource Circulation is a new law designed to promote both effective resource use and decarbonization simultaneously, by certifying and supporting advanced recycling operations carried out by industrial waste treatment providers and recycled material users, in order to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. It aims to promote high-quality material circulation, such as horizontal recycling, that goes beyond conventional recycling.
Enforcement Timeline
May 2024: The act is enacted and promulgated.
2025 (planned): The act takes effect, introducing a certification system for advanced recycling business plans and special exemptions under the Waste Management Act, among other measures.
From 2025 onward: Certified operations are expanded across manufacturing and recycling industries, and staged evaluation of recycled-resource-use targets is introduced.
Business Impact
Waste treatment and recycling businesses that adopt advanced sorting, refining, and recycling technologies can, upon receiving government certification, benefit from special exemptions under the Waste Management Act's business licensing rules, such as exemptions for wide-area treatment.
For manufacturers as well, partnering with certified operators enables a stable supply of high-quality recycled raw materials and supports decarbonization and improved resource circulation across the entire supply chain.