Unicharm trials closed-loop nappy recycling in two Japanese municipalities

Unicharm is piloting a closed-loop recycling scheme for used nappies in two local authorities in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, recovering cellulose pulp for reuse in new nappies rather than downcycling it into paper or fuel. The company plans to extend recovery to plastics and absorbent materials by 2028, as Japan's government targets 100 municipalities starting nappy recycling by 2030.

Why this mattersA working closed-loop route for a mixed-material disposable product could offer a template for recovering hard-to-recycle multi-material packaging and absorbent hygiene goods elsewhere.

• Japan produced 9.6 billion adult nappies and 8 billion baby nappies in 2024, reversing the historic market balance.
• Soiled nappy waste in Japan is projected to reach 2.6 million tonnes a year by 2030, up from about 2.2 million tonnes in 2020.
• The Kagoshima trial, using Unicharm's process, achieves an 80% recycling rate, four times the cited national average for this waste stream.
• Processing steps include shredding, washing, separation of cellulose, plastics and superabsorbent polymers, and ozone treatment of pulp for sterilisation and deodorisation.
• Unicharm aims to add recycling of plastics and absorbent materials into new products by 2028.
• Japan's government wants 100 of its more than 1,700 municipalities to have begun work on nappy recycling by 2030.

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