DHC Supplement Packaging Bags Reborn as New Packaging Materials!

DHC Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Midori Miyazaki; hereinafter: DHC), with the aim of recycling supplement packaging bags, has discovered new insights into packaging bag recycling technology through joint research with multiple companies, including Toyo Ink Co., Ltd. of the artience group (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Hideki Yasuda; hereinafter: artience group). Moving forward, starting with this technology, we aim to build and commercialize a recycling model that circulates used supplement packaging bags into new packaging materials. DHC's granular supplement packaging bags utilize a pouch with an "aluminum foil laminate film" structure (hereinafter: aluminum pouch). This pouch plays a vital role in maintaining safe and secure quality by protecting the supplements from light, oxygen, and moisture. On the other hand, because it is a structure where aluminum foil and multiple plastic films are bonded together, separation after use is difficult, and recycling has been considered challenging. As a result, it is estimated that approximately 100 tons of packaging bags from representative DHC products alone are disposed of as waste annually. Considering these challenges, in addition to providing safe and secure products, our company has positioned environmental impact reduction measures, including the post-use disposal stage, as an important theme. We have been promoting research toward the recycling of aluminum pouches in collaboration with multiple companies, including the artience group, since January 2024. In this research, we conducted step-by-step processes from pulverizing, separating, and reprocessing aluminum pouches slated for disposal, to evaluating physical properties and verifying packaging suitability. By combining the technical expertise of multiple companies, we discovered recycling technology at a practical level. Moving forward, using this recycling technology as a starting point, we will further advance the development of packaging technologies and eco-friendly processes to realize a sustainable resource circulation. ■Details of the Recycling Technology This technology applies the laminate film separation technology held by the artience group. By adjusting the adhesive layer, we realized the separation of aluminum foil and plastic film, which was conventionally difficult. Furthermore, by utilizing the plastic raw materials after separation to form new films and combining them with the technologies of multiple companies, we succeeded in recycling them into pouches for different products. ■About DHC Supplement Packaging Bags DHC supplement packaging bags use an "aluminum foil laminate film" to stably preserve the contents. Laminating is the process of bonding multiple different types of films together to make a single film, and making the film a multi-layered structure allows for higher functionality. What is "Aluminum Foil Laminate Film"? It is a film that uses thinly stretched aluminum foil as part of a multi-layered structure, possessing extremely high light shielding, oxygen barrier, and water vapor barrier properties.