Panasonic Corporation, in collaboration with Asahi Breweries, Ltd, has developed the Panda Bamboo Tumbler, which utilises bamboo discarded by the pandas at Adventure World (Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture) .
Panasonic has been involved in research and development activities to reduce the amount of petroleum-derived resin since 2015, and in 2019 developed a composite processing technology to mix cellulose fibre, a naturally occurring component, into resin at a 55% concentration. This, the world's first eco-cup "Forest Tumbler" utilising Panasonic's highly concentrated cellulose fibre moulding material, was jointly developed with Asahi Breweries and has been on sale since July 2019. Panasonic has also developed technologies for the effective use of various plant waste materials, including cypress, cedar, bamboo, wheat, tea leaves and coffee, which contain cellulose fibre.
Adventure World has been promoting the upcycling of bamboo trunks and uneaten bamboo left uneaten by giant pandas as an effective resource, as part of the Panda Bamboo Project. The Forest Tumbler, jointly developed by Panasonic and Asahi Beer, has now been adopted for the Panda Bamboo Project. The raw material used is bamboo, which was discarded by pandas because it was uneaten, and will be sold as the Panda Bamboo Tumbler, a non-disposable beverage container, at four shops in the park and at the official Adventure World online shop. This is the first product to utilise the waste wood utilisation technology developed by Panasonic. Through this initiative, Panasonic will also contribute to the reduction of plastic waste at Adventure World. The Omoroi Company LLC, a social business producer and SDGs partner of Adventure World, is participating in the planning and development of this Panda Bamboo Tumbler project.
Panasonic is promoting initiatives to make effective use of various plant waste materials in cooperation with local authorities and companies. This development is part of this initiative and we will continue to promote various initiatives in the future. We are also working on the conversion to biomass, which will be replaced by 100% naturally derived materials. By further enhancing the material properties and material superiority, we will accelerate the development of the material into a wide range of products and promote corporate activities to realise a sustainable society through the reduction of resin use.
■Highly concentrated cellulose fibre moulding material -kinari- Website
https://www.panasonic.com/jp/company/ppe/molddie/kinari.html
Contact.
Panasonic Production Engineering Co.
E-mail: cef_contact@ml.jp.panasonic.com
Reference: 'Panda Bamboo Tumbler'
Launch date: 2 December 2021 (Thursday)
Retail price: ¥1,200 (tax included)
Cups only. (Lid and strap not included).
Shipping costs will be charged by delivery area and by courier service size when using the EC website.
Sold at: 4 shops in the park (AW, Symbiosis, Joyland and Uland).
Adventure World official online shop https://www.ec-aws.com/shop/
Capacity: 490 ml.
■Designs: seven types
[About the Panda Bamboo Project].
https://www.ms-aws.com/vision/sustainability/policy02/
This project aims to protect the satoyama environment by cutting down bamboo that devastates satoyama and using it as food for giant pandas, and to promote upcycling of bamboo trunks, uneaten bamboo and faeces that have been disposed of so far as effective resources for giant pandas.
Press release
https://news.panasonic.com/jp/topics/204477.html