Cooperative 350裨Wide Mouth R Bottle Products

CooperativeNetwork for

Distribution of

ReturnableBottles

Standardized returnable bottles

（350裨）

Established in 1994

Cooperative Network for Distribution of ReturnableBottles was set up to reuse bottles as part ofgarbage reduction initiatives. Multiple cooperativesestablished the network in April 1994 and workedtogether to increase the awareness of bottlerecycling within communities.

Affiliated cooperatives include 生活クラブ連合会

（Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative

Union）, 東都生協（Ｔohto Ｃonsumers‘Ｃo-Ｏ

perative Ｓociety）, パルシステム連合会（Pal

System Consumers Cooperative Union）, グリーン

コ ー プ 連 合（ Green CoopCONSUMERS’

Cooperative Union）, 生協連合会きらり（Consumers’

Co-Operative Union KIRARI）, 新潟県総合生協

（Co-operative NIIGATA）, and incorporates

members across 1.5 million households from

Hokkaido to Kyusu participating in the initiative.

Results from bottle recycling show that of 14

million R bottles supplied, 10 million of those

bottles are being recovered（78% recovery rate）.

To increase recycling efficiency, members of

Cooperative Network for Distribution of Returnable

Bottles used standardized bottles, which have

been put in use by a number of manufacturers

(refer to the chart on the right).

These returnable bottles have been dubbed the R

Bottle (open design can be used by anyone) and

have an R molded into the base and shoulder of

the bottle.

Standardized R Bottles

ＴＯＨＴＯ ＣＯＮＳＵＭＥＲＳ’ ＣＯ-ＯＰＥＲＡＴＩＶＥ ＳＯＣＩＥＴＹ 200,000 union member

Ｐａｌ Ｓｙｓｔｅｍ Ｃｏｎｓｕｍｅｒｓ Ｃｏｏｐｅｒａｔｉｖｅ Ｕｎｉｏｎ 560,000 union member

Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Co-operative Union 260,000 union member

CONSUMERS’CO-OPERATIVE UNION KIRARI

40,000 union member

GREEN COOP CONSUMERS’ COOPERATIVE UNION 330,000 union member

Co-operative NIIGATA 80,000 union member

Some Standardized R Bottles

Narrow Mouth: 1000ml, 900ml, 500ml, 360ml

Wide Mouth: 350ml, 200ml, 200ml (medium mouth)o

0

400

（10,000 bottles） （％）

800

1,200

1,600

2,000

Supplied（Bottles） Collected（Bottles） Recovery Rate by Weight

40

20

0

60

100

80

46.8

63.5 61.5

68.3 68.372.7 74.8 76.5 78.6

75.6 77.1

Fiscal94Supplied（Bottles）

Collected（Bottles） Recovery Rate by Weight

8,253,414 8,109,167 10,505,560 12,499,391 13,157,743 14,510,580 14,222,188 14,273,234 14,175,548 14,225,016 14,157,348

3,865,643 5,148,796 6,752,902 8,061,691 8,459,867 9,891,339 10,212,829 10,190,895 10,405,476 10,074,472 10,199,562

46.8 63.5 61.5 68.3 68.3 72.7 74.8 76.5 78.6 75.6 77.1

Fiscal95 Fiscal96 Fiscal97 Fiscal98 Fiscal99 Fiscal00 Fiscal01 Fiscal02 Fiscal03 Fiscal04

Achieving StandardizationOne-way Bottle

With standardized bottles (bottle shapes) used for

recycling, members of Cooperative Network for

Distribution of Returnable Bottles have managed

to greatly increase collection, cleaning, and sorting

efficiency, a problem that often plagues

conventional recycling efforts.

The diagram below displays one example of how

bottles are used by one Cooperative. Examples

such as this are gaining popularity, with further

member increases and greater standardization

expected.

Able to be usedover and over.

oBottle

Standardization

Actions based on EPR

Development of lighter weight R Bottles

To produce environmentally friendly bottles that are easy to use and present the least strain on resources,

Cooperative Network for Distribution of Returnable Bottles has worked together with the Japan Glass Bottle

Cooperation since 1998 to develop lightweight bottles with a plastic outer coating.

These bottles have been introduced to cooperatives that are ready to use them. A total of 5 million bottles

are in use as of fiscal 2005.

Lightweight R Bottles

Narrow Mouth: 900ml, 500ml, 360ml

Cooperative Network for Distribution of Returnable BottlesWelship Higashi Shinjuku, 6-24-20 Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 〒160-0022

Tel 03-5285-1883 Fax 03-5285-1839Website: http://www.alpha-net.ne.jp/users2/binnet/

Email: binnet@m08.alpha-net.ne.jp

Weight of 500ｍl R Bottle

▲40% lighter

320g →195gCo2 emissions

for the supply, collection,and recycling per R bottleover its life time has been

assessed to be reduced by 25%

121g → 91gRatio of lost bottles due to visualinspections of collected bottlesis reduced to approximately 1/10

2.6%→ 0.25%

Retains the same strength as a new bottle after being used 35 times. (Line graph)