Bottle-to-Bottle Verification Experiment at MUFG Bank Osaka and Nagoya Buildings; All Japan Beverage Association Presents First Letter of Appreciation
MUFG Bank and the All Japan Beverage Association have launched an experiment to improve the "bottle-to-bottle" recycling rate of PET bottles at MUFG Bank's Osaka and Nagoya buildings. By centralizing collection boxes under the bank's management, they aim to improve collection quality and verify costs and employee behavioral changes. The association also presented MUFG with its first letter of appreciation as a promoter.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 09:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 20, 2026 at 00:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 20, 2026 at 00:35 (3 min after Collected)
MUFG Bank, Ltd.
All Japan Beverage Association
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (Member of the Board of Directors, President & Group CEO Junichi Hanzawa; hereinafter "MUFG") and the All Japan Beverage Association (Chairman Daisuke Honjo; hereinafter "JSDA") have commenced a verification experiment. The initiative aims to centralize the management of all PET bottles discharged from MUFG Bank's Osaka Building (Chuo-ku, Osaka City) and Nagoya Building (Naka-ku, Nagoya City) under the bank's control, with the goal of improving the "bottle-to-bottle" horizontal recycling rate.
Furthermore, the JSDA presented a letter of appreciation to MUFG, the first of its kind awarded to a "bottle-to-bottle" promoter, with the aim of widely introducing advanced initiatives contributing to the promotion of "bottle-to-bottle" recycling to society.
[Overview of the Initiative and "Bottle-to-Bottle"]
[Background and Overview]
In Japan, "bottle-to-bottle" recycling—which uses spent PET bottles as raw materials to be reborn as new PET bottles without using new fossil-derived materials—is an initiative that contributes to the stabilization of raw material procurement. The ratio has risen to 37.7% as of 2024. In April 2021, the JSDA announced the "Declaration of 50% Bottle-to-Bottle Ratio by 2030." The association has been working to promote "bottle-to-bottle" recycling not only within the soft drink industry but also through coordination with intermediate treatment operators, recyclers, relevant ministries, and local governments.
MUFG has previously promoted "bottle-to-bottle" as an emitting business operator at six large buildings in the Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka areas, as well as MUFG Bank branches in the Kanto area, aiming to contribute to domestic resource circulation, reduce environmental impact, and foster environmental awareness among employees. In this verification experiment, with the cooperation of the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association (Representative Director Takahide Baba), all recycling boxes installed by vending machine companies in the MUFG Bank Osaka and Nagoya Buildings will be removed. The collection of used PET bottles will be centralized into recycling boxes managed by MUFG Bank. Compared to the conventional collection conducted by each vending machine company, this makes it possible to unify sorting rules and manage quality, leading to the securing of used PET bottles suitable for "bottle-to-bottle" recycling. Furthermore, by collecting in accordance with the sorting rules promoted within the buildings (zero leftover drinks, removing caps and labels before disposal), the recovery rate of recycled PET resin is increased, and further promotion of "bottle-to-bottle" is expected.
Through this verification experiment, the improvement of the "bottle-to-bottle" rate of each building, collection and transportation costs, and changes in employee behavior will be verified. In addition, using videos and stickers provided by the JSDA, awareness activities for employees will be conducted.
Moreover, the presentation of a letter of appreciation from the JSDA is the first attempt of its kind. While expressing gratitude to stakeholders, it is positioned as an advanced initiative contributing to the improvement of collection quality of business-related PET bottles.
[About the Verification Experiment]
1. Overview of Target Buildings
Target Buildings
MUFG Bank Osaka Building
MUFG Bank Nagoya Building
Number of Floors
Main Building: 21 floors above ground, Annex: 18 floors above ground
10 floors above ground
Number of Occupants
2,744 people
2,054 people
Participating Companies
MUFG Bank
Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking
Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities
Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS
Mitsubishi UFJ Loan Business
Mitsubishi UFJ Human Resources Service
MU Business Service
Tokyo Credit Services
Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities
MUFG Finance & Leasing
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital
MUFG Bank
Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking
Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities
Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting
Mitsubishi UFJ Factor
MU Communications
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital
2. Verification Experiment Items
Main Items and Details
Effect of "bottle-to-bottle"
- Understanding the change in the implementation rate before and after the experiment
- Verification of environmental impact reduction by calculating CO2 emission reduction
Economy of "bottle-to-bottle"
- Understanding changes in collection and transportation costs
- Economic evaluation from an operational perspective
Employee awareness and behavior change
- Understanding changes in recognition rate and understanding
- Confirmation of the penetration status of awareness measures and behavior changes
3. Support by the JSDA
Employee awareness video (20 seconds), Sorting promotion stickers
[Future Developments]
Based on the results obtained through the verification experiment, MUFG will foster employee awareness regarding the circular economy and environmental impact reduction, and promote the expansion of "bottle-to-bottle" recycling at other MUFG locations.
All Japan Beverage Association
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (Member of the Board of Directors, President & Group CEO Junichi Hanzawa; hereinafter "MUFG") and the All Japan Beverage Association (Chairman Daisuke Honjo; hereinafter "JSDA") have commenced a verification experiment. The initiative aims to centralize the management of all PET bottles discharged from MUFG Bank's Osaka Building (Chuo-ku, Osaka City) and Nagoya Building (Naka-ku, Nagoya City) under the bank's control, with the goal of improving the "bottle-to-bottle" horizontal recycling rate.
Furthermore, the JSDA presented a letter of appreciation to MUFG, the first of its kind awarded to a "bottle-to-bottle" promoter, with the aim of widely introducing advanced initiatives contributing to the promotion of "bottle-to-bottle" recycling to society.
[Overview of the Initiative and "Bottle-to-Bottle"]
[Background and Overview]
In Japan, "bottle-to-bottle" recycling—which uses spent PET bottles as raw materials to be reborn as new PET bottles without using new fossil-derived materials—is an initiative that contributes to the stabilization of raw material procurement. The ratio has risen to 37.7% as of 2024. In April 2021, the JSDA announced the "Declaration of 50% Bottle-to-Bottle Ratio by 2030." The association has been working to promote "bottle-to-bottle" recycling not only within the soft drink industry but also through coordination with intermediate treatment operators, recyclers, relevant ministries, and local governments.
MUFG has previously promoted "bottle-to-bottle" as an emitting business operator at six large buildings in the Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka areas, as well as MUFG Bank branches in the Kanto area, aiming to contribute to domestic resource circulation, reduce environmental impact, and foster environmental awareness among employees. In this verification experiment, with the cooperation of the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association (Representative Director Takahide Baba), all recycling boxes installed by vending machine companies in the MUFG Bank Osaka and Nagoya Buildings will be removed. The collection of used PET bottles will be centralized into recycling boxes managed by MUFG Bank. Compared to the conventional collection conducted by each vending machine company, this makes it possible to unify sorting rules and manage quality, leading to the securing of used PET bottles suitable for "bottle-to-bottle" recycling. Furthermore, by collecting in accordance with the sorting rules promoted within the buildings (zero leftover drinks, removing caps and labels before disposal), the recovery rate of recycled PET resin is increased, and further promotion of "bottle-to-bottle" is expected.
Through this verification experiment, the improvement of the "bottle-to-bottle" rate of each building, collection and transportation costs, and changes in employee behavior will be verified. In addition, using videos and stickers provided by the JSDA, awareness activities for employees will be conducted.
Moreover, the presentation of a letter of appreciation from the JSDA is the first attempt of its kind. While expressing gratitude to stakeholders, it is positioned as an advanced initiative contributing to the improvement of collection quality of business-related PET bottles.
[About the Verification Experiment]
1. Overview of Target Buildings
Target Buildings
MUFG Bank Osaka Building
MUFG Bank Nagoya Building
Number of Floors
Main Building: 21 floors above ground, Annex: 18 floors above ground
10 floors above ground
Number of Occupants
2,744 people
2,054 people
Participating Companies
MUFG Bank
Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking
Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities
Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS
Mitsubishi UFJ Loan Business
Mitsubishi UFJ Human Resources Service
MU Business Service
Tokyo Credit Services
Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities
MUFG Finance & Leasing
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital
MUFG Bank
Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking
Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities
Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting
Mitsubishi UFJ Factor
MU Communications
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital
2. Verification Experiment Items
Main Items and Details
Effect of "bottle-to-bottle"
- Understanding the change in the implementation rate before and after the experiment
- Verification of environmental impact reduction by calculating CO2 emission reduction
Economy of "bottle-to-bottle"
- Understanding changes in collection and transportation costs
- Economic evaluation from an operational perspective
Employee awareness and behavior change
- Understanding changes in recognition rate and understanding
- Confirmation of the penetration status of awareness measures and behavior changes
3. Support by the JSDA
Employee awareness video (20 seconds), Sorting promotion stickers
[Future Developments]
Based on the results obtained through the verification experiment, MUFG will foster employee awareness regarding the circular economy and environmental impact reduction, and promote the expansion of "bottle-to-bottle" recycling at other MUFG locations.
FAQ
Why did MUFG Bank start the bottle-to-bottle verification experiment?
To centralize PET bottle collection in its buildings, unify sorting rules, improve collection quality, and increase the recycling rate while reducing environmental impact.
What is verified in the experiment?
It verifies changes in the bottle-to-bottle implementation rate, environmental effects like CO2 reduction, collection cost changes, and employee behavioral changes.
What is the role of the All Japan Beverage Association?
It presented MUFG with its first letter of appreciation for the advanced initiative and supports the experiment by providing awareness videos and stickers.