The pilot initiative, which commenced in February 2021 in the city of Kobe, introduced two digital product passports developed by Circularise to monitor the journey of plastic bottle caps throughout the recycling process. These passports focused on tracking the composition of two types of lids, namely polypropylene and polyethylene, prior to the recycling process.
The Circularise experiment was carried out under the auspices of the Japan Circular Economy Partnership (J-CEP), an ambitious project launched in October 2022 aiming to enhance waste recycling efforts in Japan through the collaboration of private and public sectors. J-CEP encompasses various initiatives focused on plastic and food waste recycling and the implementation of eco-friendly patented technologies. Over 170 companies have united under this initiative.
Jordi de Vos, co-founder of Circularise, emphasized that blockchain technology ensures that data manipulation throughout the supply chain becomes nearly impossible, while also enabling the tracking of the origin of recycled materials. The company showcased its Smart Questioning technology in real-life scenarios with six Japanese firms, successfully generating digital product passports without revealing users’ personal data.
While Circularise is determined to raise awareness of digital passports among private consumers and businesses, critics of the pilot project have expressed concerns about the environmental impact of blockchain technology due to the high energy consumption associated with networks employing the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm.
It is worth mentioning that several years ago, Japanese technology company Kyocera pioneered the use of blockchain in the green energy sector by implementing the technology to facilitate the sale of electricity generated at a solar power plant (VPP).