RECOTECH Implements 'pool' Resource Recycling Data Infrastructure at One of Japan's Largest Resort Malls

RECOTECH Inc. (HQ: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Mamoru Nozaki; hereinafter 'RECOTECH') has commenced an initiative at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza to utilize its resource recycling data infrastructure, 'pool', to drive waste management digital transformation (DX) and build a resource circulation scheme. This initiative aims to visualize waste emissions on a tenant-by-tenant basis, enabling the capture of data on discharge volume and sorting status by item, thereby creating a system where tenants can proactively participate in waste sorting. The goal is to provide environmental reports for each tenant and implement new sorting schemes to improve recycling rates.

Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza is one of Japan's largest resort-type shopping malls, marking 30 years since its opening in 1995. Located in the nature-rich area of Karuizawa and housing diverse tenants, enhancing resource circulation here holds significant meaning in building a sustainable operating model for commercial facilities.

Through this initiative, RECOTECH aims to support the creation of a model that evolves commercial facilities from places where waste is generated into 'hubs for recycled resources.'

■ Initiative Overview
Facility Name: Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza
Location: Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano Prefecture
Scale: Approximately 240 stores; total site area of approx. 260,000 square meters
Operator: Seibu Real Estate Property Management Co., Ltd.
Opened: 1995 (30th anniversary in 2025)
Launch Date: Commenced sequentially from April 2026
Scope: Tenant-specific waste measurement, visualization of sorting status, environment reporting, and verification of new sorting schemes
System Used: RECOTECH 'pool' (Resource recycling data infrastructure)

■ Significance of the Initiative at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza
The significance of this effort extends beyond simple improvements in waste management:

1. Regionality: In a region where the natural environment and tourism resources are the foundation of facility value, reducing environmental impact is directly linked to the sustainability of the facility operations themselves.
2. Engaging Tenants: In commercial facilities, there is a limit to what facility operators can achieve alone. It is essential to design a system where tenants, who generate waste daily, can participate in sorting and waste reduction.
3. Scalable Model: By integrating tenant-specific measurement, visualization, reporting, and new recycling scheme development in a large-scale commercial facility, this becomes a model applicable to various facilities nationwide, including outlet malls, station buildings, complex commercial facilities, tourist sites, hotels, and theme parks.

Beginning this initiative at the milestone of the 30th anniversary is an attempt to redefine the role of commercial facilities from 'places of consumption' to 'places where resources circulate' for the next 30 years.

■ Key Features of the Initiative
1. Visualizing emissions per tenant: In this initiative, each tenant is issued an IC card that links waste measurement data at the time of discharge with tenant information. This allows for grasping not only the overall waste volume of the facility but also the actual discharge situation per tenant and by item.
2. Sharing sorting status with tenants: The initiative visualizes the discharge and sorting status for each tenant as data, creating a state where both facility operators and tenants can work on sorting based on the same information. By allowing tenants to understand their own discharge reality, it promotes the establishment of sorting rules and encourages proactive participation across the entire facility.