Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market Size, Share, and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Material (Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polypropylene (PP), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and Others), By Treatment (Co-Processing, Heat Compression, Pyrolysis, Landfill, Incineration, and Others), By Recycling Process (Mechanical, and Others), By Application (Packaging, Construction, Textile, Automotive, and Others), and Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market Insights, Industry Trend, Forecasts to 2035

Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market Size Insights Forecasts to 2035

• The Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market Size Was Estimated at USD 2.34 Billion in 2024
• The Market Size is Expected to Grow at a CAGR of around 7.3% from 2025 to 2035
• The Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market Size is Expected to Reach USD 5.08 Billion by 2035

According to a Research Report Published by Spherical Insights & Consulting, the Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market is anticipated to reach USD 5.08 Billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2025 to 2035.  The Japan Market for Plastic Waste Recycling is growing due to the synergy from many factors, such as increased consumer demand for green products, stringent government controls, technological innovation, and Japan's alignment with sustainability. All these factors are fueling the demand for recycled plastic and the emergence of new recycling technologies and infrastructure.

Market Overview

The Japan waste plastic recycling market refers to the gathering, processing, and reuse of plastic waste into renewable materials to minimize environmental footprint and improve a circular economy. Major uses involve recycling polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate for packaging, automotive components, and household products. Japan has a high recycling rate for plastics, advanced sorting, and processing technology in place for effective material recovery. The nation's robust industrial sector facilitates the incorporation of recycled plastics in other manufacturing industries. There is a possibility to expand in the production of bio-based and biodegradable plastics, and there is an increase in the applications of recycled plastics in the automotive and electronic industries. Market growth is also propelled by consumer demand for environmentally friendly products and the development of recycling technologies. The Japan government is imposing ambitious goals, such as lowering single-use plastic emissions by 25% by 2030 and launching 2 million tons of bio-based plastics by the same year. All these are designed to improve recycling rates and encourage sustainable usage of plastic.

Report Coverage

This research report categorizes the market for the Japan waste plastic recycling market based on various segments and regions and forecasts revenue growth and analyzes trends in each submarket. The report analyses the key growth drivers, opportunities, and challenges influencing the Japan waste plastic recycling market. Recent market developments and competitive strategies such as expansion, product launch, and development, partnership, merger, and acquisition have been included to draw the competitive landscape in the market. The report strategically identifies and profiles the key market players and analyses their core competencies in each sub-segment of the Japan waste plastic recycling market.

Driving Factors

The Japanese waste plastic recycling industry is propelled by stringent environmental regulations, increasing public concern regarding plastic pollution, and state-led initiatives for a circular economy. Advanced technologies and infrastructure drive efficient waste handling. Sustainability commitments from companies, increasing demand for recycled input in production, and Japan's limited capacity for landfilling further fuel the demand for proper plastic recycling. These drivers individually propel investment, innovation, and growth in the plastic recycling industry of the country.

Restraining Factors

The market for recycling plastic waste in Japan is constrained by sparse collection facilities, and poor segregation of waste prevents high-quality recycled plastics from being available. Volatility in raw material prices and recycled plastic prices affects profitability, discouraging investment. Some end-users also view recycled plastics as inferior to virgin plastics, impacting adoption.

Market Segmentation

The Japan waste plastic recycling market share is classified into material, treatment, recycling process, and application.

• The poly vinyl chloride segment dominated the market share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.

The Japan waste plastic recycling market is segmented by material into poly vinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and others. Among these, the poly vinyl chloride segment dominated the market share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.  This is due to it is processing of a great range of products, including food packing materials, cleansing materials, textiles, bottles for use in packaging beverages, and medical appliances, and for long-lasting products like pipes, window frames, cable insulation, floor covering, and roofing sheets.

• The co-processing segment held the largest market share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.

The Japan waste plastic recycling market is segmented by treatment into co-processing, heat compression, pyrolysis, landfill, incineration, and others. Among these, the co-processing segment held the largest market share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. This is attributed to the it is more environmentally friendly and viewed as a sustainable waste disposal practice compared to landfilling and incineration, owing to lower emissions and no leftover residue after treatment.

• The mechanical segment held the largest market share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.

The Japan waste plastic recycling market is segmented by recycling process into mechanical and others. Among these, the mechanical segment held a significant share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. This is owing to its lower price, existing infrastructure, and effectiveness at processing mass quantities of such common plastics as PET and HDPE. It also requires less energy and produces less carbon dioxide.

• The packaging segment held the largest market share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.

The Japan waste plastic recycling market is segmented by application into packaging, construction, textile, automotive, and others. Among these, the packaging segment held a significant share in 2024 and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. This is due to the growing use of the packaging of food items, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, and the rising use of sophisticated technologies to recycle a broad range and mix of dirty film and rigid plastic, which is driving the market growth in the segment.

Competitive Analysis:

The report offers the appropriate analysis of the key organizations/companies involved within the Japan waste plastic recycling market along with a comparative evaluation primarily based on their product offering, business overviews, geographic presence, enterprise strategies, segment market share, and SWOT analysis. The report also provides an elaborative analysis focusing on the current news and developments of the companies, which includes product development, innovations, joint ventures, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances, and others. This allows for the evaluation of the overall competition within the market.

List of Key Companies

• Ryohshin Co., Ltd.
• Toyobo Co., Ltd.
• Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
• Seiu Japan Co., Ltd.
• G-Place Corporation
• Greenmax Recycling
• Rengo Co., Ltd.
• Hokkan Holdings Ltd
• Teijin Limited
• Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
• Asachi Group Holdings, Ltd.
• Iwatani Corporation
• Others

Recent Developments:

• In January 2024, Circularise partnered with Japanese companies, AMITA and Marubeni Corporation, to confirm the successful completion of a pilot project examining the traceability of plastic waste using blockchain technology. Circularise's pilot introduced two digital product passports that tracked plastic bottle caps through the complete cycle of all the recycling process steps. The project was tested in Kobe City in Japan and included tracking bottle caps using polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) before the recycling process.

Key Target Audience

• Market Players
• Investors
• End-users
• Government Authorities 
• Consulting and Research Firm
• Venture capitalists
• Value-Added Resellers (VARs)

Market Segment

This study forecasts revenue at Japan, regional, and country levels from 2020 to 2035. Spherical Insights has segmented the Japan waste plastic recycling market based on the below-mentioned segments

Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market, By Material

• Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
• Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
• High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
• Others

Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market, By Treatment

• Co-Processing
• Heat Compression
• Pyrolysis
• Landfill
• Incineration
• Others

Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market, By Recycling Process

• Mechanical
• Others

Japan Waste Plastic Recycling Market, By Application

• Packaging
• Construction
• Textile
• Automotive
• Others