Yupo Corporation (President and CEO: Hideyuki Fujiwara; Headquarters: Kanda-surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) launched the thick type FEBG 300 of YUPO GREEN, which uses a blend of biomass resin as a raw material and was developed in 2018, from March 1, 2019.

Conventional synthetic paper YUPO is mainly made of petroleum-derived polypropylene resin and inorganic filler. But YUPO GREEN is a new product series that partially incorporates olefin-based biomass resin in place of the petroleum-based resin. It is an environmentally friendly product series that contributes to reducing greenhouse gas (CO₂) emissions with the same quality and performance as before, and is the first synthetic paper in Japan to use olefin-based biomass resin.

FEBG 300, which will be sold for the first time as YUPO GREEN, is a thick type (FEBA 300) of our leading product ULTRAYUPO containing a blend of biomass resin. It can be used in commercial printing applications where thickness is required, such as menus, catalogs, POPs, and business cards. Going forward, we plan to expand the lineup of the YUPO GREEN series by blending biomass resin into YUPO products such as SUPERYUPO.

The biomass resin that is blended is derived from plants such as sugarcane. It is a carbon-neutral raw material since atmospheric CO₂ is absorbed as the plants grow through photosynthesis, meaning that the CO₂ emitted during incineration can be regarded as zero. Compared with conventional products, the 300 micron thick type to be sold at this time has an equivalent CO₂ reduction effect of a fluorescent lamp (40W) running for about 7 hours based on 100 sheets of A4 paper. When converted to the amount of CO₂ reduction expressed as gasoline consumption, an effect equivalent to traveling 1.3 km in a passenger car can be expected. With the domestic sales target for FY2022 for YUPO GREEN of approximately 5,000 tons, a reduction of approximately 480 tons of CO₂ can be estimated. This is equivalent to approximately 200,000 liters (111 laps of the earth for a passenger car) when converted to the amount of CO₂ reduction expressed as gasoline consumption. ¹

Synthetic paper YUPO was developed for the purpose of "conserving forest resources" when it was launched in 1972. In recent years, the United Nations has adopted the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and guidelines have adopted for implementing the Paris Agreement established at COP24². In this way, awareness regarding environmental conservation and CO₂ reduction is increasing on a global scale, and there is a growing demand for environmental measures in the materials market. YUPO GREEN is an environmentally friendly synthetic paper that takes the concept of "conserving forest resources" one step further. Yupo Corporation, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in May this year, has positioned YUPO GREEN as one of its strategic products as it aims to become a 100-year company.

In the fall of 2019, we plan to blend biomass resin into other thicknesses of ULTRAYUPO, SUPERYUPO, and AQUAYUPO. These products will be used for applications such as posters, maps, and wrapping paper, and we aim to sell 2,000 tons of the YUPO GREEN series in Japan in FY2020. In addition, we aim to sell 5,000 tons annually in Japan in FY2022 by developing products for labels as well as the commercial printing field. This corresponds to approximately 20% of the annual production at our Kashima Factory. Going forward, we aim to expand globally and switch all conventional products to the YUPO GREEN series containing biomass resin.

1. *1 Yupo Corporation calculation based on Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism average fuel efficiency of passenger cars (JC08 mode 2015) of 21.6 km/liter
2. *2 The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

FEBG 300 Product Overview

Product Series	YUPO GREEN
Grade	FEBG 300
Thickness/Basis weight	300 μm / 234 g/m2
Quality and Performance	Same quality as ULTRAYUPO thick type (FEBA300)
Stock size	Traditional Japanese "Shiroku-ban" size 788 mm × 1,091 mm, Traditional Japanese "Kiku-ban" size 636 × 939 mm (125 sheets/package)
Sales start date	March 1, 2019 (Sales start date in Japan)
Product features	Greenhouse gas reduction type synthetic paper YUPO blended with olefin-based biomass resin with the same quality and performance as conventional synthetic paper YUPO. Japan's first synthetic paper containing olefin-based biomass resin.
Product applications	Domestic commercial printing field such as menus, catalogs, company guides, POP, business cards, tags, etc.
Product development	In the fall of 2019, we plan to expand the YUPO GREEN series by blending biomass resin into ULTRAYUPO other than 300 μm, and all thicknesses of SUPERYUPO and AQUAYUPO. Going forward, we plan to add biomass resin to conventional YUPO products such as for label applications. Products sold under the YUPO GREEN series will be completely replaced, and sales of existing products (with non-biomass resin) will be discontinued.
Sales target	FY2020 2,000 tons, FY2022 5,000 tons (approximately 20% of annual production at Kashima Factory)

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