Tokyo, Japan, October 7, 2025 — Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Mitsui Chemicals), Hagihara Industries, Inc. (Hagihara Industries), Maruki Sangyo Co., LTD. (Maruki Sangyo) and NEC Corporation (NEC) are collaborating to stabilize the quality of recycled plastics and significantly enhance manufacturing efficiency by leveraging Materials Informatics (MI) technology that uses AI to streamline material development.

Various measures are being taken worldwide to reduce waste plastics, which contribute to environmental pollution and the destruction of nature. In Japan, the government promotes the reduction, reuse, and recycling of plastics, as well as proper disposal, but the majority of plastics are still incinerated or landfilled. Accelerating efforts to reuse waste plastics as materials for new products is crucial for achieving a sustainable society.

However, in the production of recycled plastic, the quantity and quality of available waste plastic fluctuate daily. Therefore, the types and quantities of additives used to achieve the required physical properties, such as viscosity and strength, must be adjusted each time. Among these, achieving uniform viscosity requires determining material ratios based on the experience and know-how of veteran operators. The materials must then be mixed using specialized equipment to ensure consistent particle size before production. This tumbling process (*1) demands both stable quality and operational efficiency.

In this collaboration, an extruder utilizing technology developed by Mitsui Chemicals and Hagiwara Industries—which Hagiwara Industries began manufacturing and sales of this October—will be employed. This technology measures viscosity during recycled plastic production and adjusts additive input to achieve uniformity (*2). Viscosity data obtained at Maruki Sangyos' factory will be analyzed using NEC's MI technology. This enables real-time adjustment of all materials required for recycled plastic production while measuring viscosity, thereby achieving stable quality. Furthermore, it eliminates the tumbling process, which is typically necessary for quality stabilization in companies manufacturing and using recycled plastic, aiming to reduce overall production time by 25% compared to conventional methods.

Through this collaboration, the four companies will transform the recycled plastic manufacturing process itself, achieving stable quality, expanded production capacity, and labor savings at manufacturing sites through improved operational efficiency. The companies will also promote resource circulation and contribute to realizing a sustainable society.

Going forward, the four companies will advance the verification of this technology toward developing a system that automates and optimizes viscosity control in recycled plastic manufacturing, aiming for early practical application.

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About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.