TOPPAN Launches Lighter Version of 'ecocracy®', a Recyclable Mono-Material Decorative Banner, Enhancing Environmental Impact Reduction
TOPPAN will release a lighter version of its mono-material recyclable decorative banner 'ecocracy®' in April 2026. It reduces weight by 54% and CO2 emissions by up to 44%, contributing to event decarbonization and labor-saving.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 19:02
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 10:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 20:46 (298h 16m after Collected)
TOPPAN Inc. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President: Haruhiko Noguchi; hereinafter 'TOPPAN'), a group company of TOPPAN Holdings, will begin offering a lighter version of its 'ecocracy®' decorative banner, which can be recycled by using only a single plastic material, enhancing the reduction of environmental impact, starting in April 2026.
TOPPAN developed 'ecocracy®' in August 2020, providing it as a product that can be collected after use at events and recycled into materials such as wood decking and plant pots. The newly lightened product maintains light-blocking and flame-retardant properties while reducing weight by 54% compared to conventional products. Consequently, it has reduced CO2 emissions across its entire lifecycle by up to 44% (*1).
Prior to its full-scale launch, this product has been adopted for the venue guidance signs at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. For the Expo, TOPPAN has donated promotional banners to Osaka Prefecture and its municipalities to build momentum. After the Expo concludes, a resource circulation initiative will be implemented to collect the donated banners and recycle them into novelty items.
[Product Image]
■ Background of Development
Recently, as part of efforts to preserve the global environment, movements to curb the emission of greenhouse gases, including CO2 which causes global warming, have intensified. Companies are required not only to reduce and monitor their own CO2 emissions but also Scope 3 (*2) emissions across their entire supply chain. In the case of decorative materials consumed and discarded in large quantities at events, there is a rapidly growing need to reduce CO2 emissions and to quantitatively track the reduction effects.
Furthermore, at construction sites for events and competitions, labor shortages and the aging of workers are progressing. Heavy decorative materials increase the physical burden on construction staff, becoming a factor in decreased work efficiency.
Therefore, TOPPAN has developed this product, which reduces CO2 emissions and provides accurate emission data based on lifecycle assessment as well as information necessary for carbon offsetting. Concurrently, its lighter weight reduces the workload of construction staff, contributing to improved productivity at sites suffering from labor shortages.
■ Features of this Product
- Reduces environmental impact through lightweighting
By manufacturing this product thinner than conventional ones, its weight has been reduced by 54%. The reduction in raw materials due to this lightweighting has cut CO2 emissions across the entire lifecycle by up to 44% (according to our own research).
- Prevents show-through caused by thinning through a unique layer structure and material review
The concern of show-through caused by manufacturing it thinner was resolved through the manufacturing method. Specifically, a special light-blocking layer is introduced into the layer structure, and a special white pigment is formulated so that the light-blocking layer does not affect the surface color tone. Despite being thin, it achieves a clear white color without dullness while suppressing show-through, thereby maintaining the color reproducibility and vividness of the printed graphics.
- Durability and flame retardancy equivalent to conventional products
While being thinner, it combines durability and flame retardancy equal to that of conventional products. For resins, flame-retardant components act as foreign substances and cause a loss of flexibility and durability, but this product maintains its functions by reviewing the formulation of flame-retardant materials.
TOPPAN developed 'ecocracy®' in August 2020, providing it as a product that can be collected after use at events and recycled into materials such as wood decking and plant pots. The newly lightened product maintains light-blocking and flame-retardant properties while reducing weight by 54% compared to conventional products. Consequently, it has reduced CO2 emissions across its entire lifecycle by up to 44% (*1).
Prior to its full-scale launch, this product has been adopted for the venue guidance signs at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. For the Expo, TOPPAN has donated promotional banners to Osaka Prefecture and its municipalities to build momentum. After the Expo concludes, a resource circulation initiative will be implemented to collect the donated banners and recycle them into novelty items.
[Product Image]
■ Background of Development
Recently, as part of efforts to preserve the global environment, movements to curb the emission of greenhouse gases, including CO2 which causes global warming, have intensified. Companies are required not only to reduce and monitor their own CO2 emissions but also Scope 3 (*2) emissions across their entire supply chain. In the case of decorative materials consumed and discarded in large quantities at events, there is a rapidly growing need to reduce CO2 emissions and to quantitatively track the reduction effects.
Furthermore, at construction sites for events and competitions, labor shortages and the aging of workers are progressing. Heavy decorative materials increase the physical burden on construction staff, becoming a factor in decreased work efficiency.
Therefore, TOPPAN has developed this product, which reduces CO2 emissions and provides accurate emission data based on lifecycle assessment as well as information necessary for carbon offsetting. Concurrently, its lighter weight reduces the workload of construction staff, contributing to improved productivity at sites suffering from labor shortages.
■ Features of this Product
- Reduces environmental impact through lightweighting
By manufacturing this product thinner than conventional ones, its weight has been reduced by 54%. The reduction in raw materials due to this lightweighting has cut CO2 emissions across the entire lifecycle by up to 44% (according to our own research).
- Prevents show-through caused by thinning through a unique layer structure and material review
The concern of show-through caused by manufacturing it thinner was resolved through the manufacturing method. Specifically, a special light-blocking layer is introduced into the layer structure, and a special white pigment is formulated so that the light-blocking layer does not affect the surface color tone. Despite being thin, it achieves a clear white color without dullness while suppressing show-through, thereby maintaining the color reproducibility and vividness of the printed graphics.
- Durability and flame retardancy equivalent to conventional products
While being thinner, it combines durability and flame retardancy equal to that of conventional products. For resins, flame-retardant components act as foreign substances and cause a loss of flexibility and durability, but this product maintains its functions by reviewing the formulation of flame-retardant materials.