Suzuki to Reduce Petroleum-Based Plastic in Outboard Motor Packaging – Combines Biodegradable Material “Green PlanetTM” with Corrugated Cardboard to Solve Issue
Suzuki Motor Corporation has adopted “Green PlanetTM” (hereinafter, Green Planet) as an alternative to polystyrene foam used for cushioning in the final packaging of outboard motors, in an effort to reduce the use of petroleum-based plastics. Green Planet is a biodegradable polymer developed by Kaneka Corporation that is easily decomposable in seawater and is 100% biomass-derived polymers.
In switching to an alternative to polystyrene foam, it was necessary to maintain the same cushioning performance as the conventional polystyrene foam during packaging and transportation. Therefore, Suzuki developed a two-layer structure of cardboard partition shapes to supplement the cushioning performance of Green Planet, ensuring the same cushioning performance as the conventional polystyrene foam.
To address the environmental issue of marine plastic waste, Suzuki launched the “Suzuki Clean Ocean Project” in 2020 and has been working to reduce the use of plastic in packaging materials. As a result, the amount of petroleum-based plastic used in the final packaging of outboard motors produced in Japan was 43 tons annually in FY2020, but it was reduced to 6.3 tons annually by FY2023. The company aims to reduce this amount to zero by FY2026.
Suzuki will continue to strive for reducing environmental impact and continue efforts towards environmentally conscious initiatives and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
