Japanese Recycling Programme Creates Fuel from Bras

Lingerie firms Wacoal and Triumph International have formed a partnership that's seeing women in Japan recycling their bras for use as a source of fuel.

Established three years ago, the bra recycling programme's an ongoing success story, with the two companies gathering in bras that are no longer wanted or needed, removing their metal content and transforming what's left into RPF - refuse paper and plastic fuel. This RPF can then be drawn on as a power source for industrial processes.

It's a massive recycling scheme that, so far, has converted an estimated 380,000 bras into 32 tonnes of fuel product and there's an added bonus in that RPF, compared to fuel, is much cheaper to produce yet is equally as efficient.

On the emissions front, the RPF production process also results in far less in the way of carbon dioxide. That's according to the Japanese 3R Knowledge Hub - a database focusing on the so-called ‘three Rs' - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Japanese Bra Recycling

The bra recycling scheme isn't confined to Japan but it's only here that householders are directly providing the raw materials being used. Elsewhere, though, Wacoal's also been collecting bras from its Taiwanese stores.

Further to the eco benefits of the Japanese bra recycling programme, there's a social aspect, too: reportedly, a lot of women in Japan are reluctant to throw away their old bras due to waste rules that require the use of clear plastic refuse bags. It's therefore thought of as embarrassing to have old bras on show and it's a situation borne out by a survey Wacoal carried out in 2004, which discovered that close to two-thirds of the Japanese women assessed weren't entirely happy about placing their bras out on public view.

Fuel From Bras

That, though, is a scenario avoided when they're sent straight back to their manufacturers and used in the fuel-from-bras scheme.

"While considering what we can do for environmental conservation, we came up with an idea that can also ease the anxiety among our customers", a representative for Triumph told the Mainichi Daily News website.

Separately, in comments quoted by The Japan Times, the Japan RPF Association highlighted how there's been an increase in demand for this type of fuel. Aside from bras, it can be made from a wealth of other materials such as PET-based plastic drinks bottles, film and laminated paper.

See also:

Companies supplying Recycling