How can we build a circular economy society? How can we build a circular economy society?

Back to top "Creating a Sustainable Future, Together"

Connecting with the help of completely circular PET bottles. Continuing recycling activities.

We, the Seven & i Group, are always working together with all our customers. At the stores of each of the Group’s companies, the number of PET plastic bottles that customers helped us collect amounts to approximately 470 million bottles a year (*1). "Seven Premium Hajime Green Tea One Bottle a Day" (*2), a merchandise jointly planned by the Seven & i Group and Coca-Cola (Japan), is entirely made from used PET bottles collected from our customers with the help of PET bottle reverse vending machines at our stores, which makes it the world's first (*3) "completely circular PET bottle" (*4). This kind of recycling activities, in which we are engaged together with our customers, can help us reduce CO2 emissions per PET bottle by about 60%.(*8)

reverse vending machines: (*5) 2,098 units
PET bottle reverse vending machines are installed in some stores.

Connecting PET bottles to clothing.Continuing to engage in recycling.

We have developed a comfortable and environment-friendly functional inner "BODY COOLER®" by using recycled yarn (*6) from collected PET bottles that customers brought to our stores. This Seven Premium inner merchandise is eco-friendly and at the same time comfortable and cozy. We are determined to continue to create a sustainable society through everyday shopping together with all of you.

Connecting technology to recycling.Continuing to work for a better future.

In addition to collecting and recycling PET bottles, we will continue to cooperate with all of you in building a recycling-oriented society by supporting the development of technologies for recycling used plastics (*7) and in many other ways.

*1 Total figure for all the Group companies in FY 2022
*2 This is a merchandise jointly planned by Seven & i Group and Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd. "Ichi" and "Hajime" are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company.
*3 As of June 5, 2019. Research conducted by Coca-Cola (Japan) and Seven & i Holdings.
*4 “Completely circular” refers to the fact that the entire recycling process is completed by a single distribution group (recycled PET bottles made from PET bottles collected at the Seven & i Group stores are sold again at the Seven & i Group stores).
*5 As of the end of February 2023
*6 Of the 92 BODY COOLER® women's and men's inner garment items, 29 are made with recycled PET bottle yarn. (As of February 2020)
*7 We intend to participate in developing efficient, low negative environmental impact technology for recycling used plastic by taking a stake in the joint investment company "R Plus Japan Co., Ltd."
*8 This is the reduction rate in the processes from mining of raw materials to production of preform (interim product serving as the original form of PET bottle). This rate is calculated from comparison based on switching from ordinary petroleum-derived PET to 100% recycled PET.(According to Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd)