Rengo Appears at Session 1 of the NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum (Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan)

2025.10.03

On September 26, the NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum was conducted in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan's Theme Weeks Studio.

Since 2023, the NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum Expert Committee has brought together marine specialists and corporate representatives to engage in discussions and provide recommendations. At the event, held upon the recommendation of the expert committee, key members of the ocean science field met to think about how we can protect the future of our oceans and to share their ideas with the world.

Rengo participated in Session 1, "Resource Circulation." In this session, participants discussed solutions for the problem of ocean plastic waste, which poses a concern not only on marine ecosystems but also on human health.

Taku Furuta, Managing Executive Officer and Member of the Senior Executives Meeting at Rengo and a member of the expert committee since its formation, presented spherical cellulose beads (Viscopearl) and cellophane made from wood pulp that are being developed, manufactured, and sold by Rengo. These products are broken down by marine microorganisms into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms in seawater. They have received OK biodegradable MARINE certification, an international certification for marine biodegradability. He showed their potential to help reduce the amount of ocean microplastic waste by serving as a substitute for plastic products.