[SDGs] Initiatives for Plastic Reduction

The problem of plastic waste, with 8 million tons flowing into the ocean annually, is becoming increasingly serious worldwide.
Do you know where litter goes?
In fact, much of the trash discarded on roads is washed away by rain and enters the sewer system.
There are mainly two types of sewer pipes: the combined sewer system, which collects both wastewater and rainwater in a single pipe, and the separate sewer system, which collects wastewater and rainwater in separate pipes.
In the case of the separate sewer system, rainwater is discharged directly into rivers along with trash.
Even in the combined sewer system, if there is heavy rain, the wastewater cannot be fully treated, so rainwater mixed with wastewater is discharged directly into rivers and other bodies of water.
In Tokyo, about 80% of the system is combined. The reason the sea is dirty or smelly after heavy rain is that wastewater is discharged directly into rivers.
And plastic waste such as packaging and masks discarded on the road along with heavy rain breaks down into smaller pieces due to weathering and eventually flows into the sea with the heavy rain.
Most ocean waste is not discarded in the sea but is trash discarded on land.
Before discussing SYRINX's initiatives, I wanted to let you know this fact and first convey the importance of properly disposing of trash.

Now, I will tell you about SYRINX's efforts to reduce plastic.

Abolition of OPP (transparent plastic) bags for outer packaging
We have substituted paper sleeves and stopped using OPP bags. (However, it will take some time until all equipment and inventory are switched over.)

Reduction in non-woven fabric use
We have stopped using non-woven fabric for our main products such as wallets. Some products, such as document cases, still use it, but we are looking for alternatives.

Efforts to prevent waste
The dummy cards included with wallets were previously emergency contact cards to encourage their effective use rather than being thrown away. However, since they were not actually being used, we redesigned them as a more practical multi-functional ruler, the "Multi Ruler Card."
This "Multi Ruler Card" has been well-received, and in response to customer requests for individual sales, we have started general sales.

The skimming prevention card that was included with wallets is not necessarily needed by everyone, so to reduce the number of discarded cards, we made it available for separate purchase.

In the future, we intend to further promote plastic reduction, such as by replacing the internal cushioning material with organic materials.