Euglena Co., Ltd. will participate in the adoption project of the "Demonstration Project for Building Resource Recycling Systems for Plastics, etc. that Supports a Decarbonized Society" by the Ministry of the Environment.
-Supporting the development of bioplastics utilizing microalgae Euglena-

Euglena Co., Ltd.

　Euglena Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Mitsuru Izumo, hereinafter "Euglena") is Nippon Electric Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Takashi Niino), LIXIL Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Kinya Seto) and the National University Corporation Tokyo University (Professor Tadahisa Iwata) promote "Polysaccharide-based high-performance bioplastics for electronic devices and housing equipment (interior) products. We are pleased to announce that we will participate in the "Application and Recycling System Demonstration Project".
　This demonstration project is one of the projects adopted by the Ministry of the Environment, which is a project to build a resource recycling system for plastics that supports a decarbonized society. Euglena is a microalgae Euglena ( Japanese name: Euglena, hereinafter "Euglena") to support the development of plastics using paramilon, a unique ingredient, and to cultivate Euglena, saccharified products decomposed from used paper and food residues as nutrients. We aim to build a resource recycling system using non-edible biomass.

　Paramylon, which is a peculiar component of the microalgae Euglena ^{, is a polysaccharide * 1} consisting of β-1,3 glucan, and can be produced at high density by adjusting the culture method. While cellulose, which is the same polysaccharide, has a β-1,4 bond, paramylon has a β-1,3 bond, and it is expected that bioplastics with new properties will be produced from its unique three-dimensional structure. Will be done. In addition, Euglena Co., Ltd. uses saccharified products, which are obtained by decomposing cellulose such as used paper and food residues by enzymatic saccharification technology, as nutrients when culturing Euglena Aim to build.
　Euglena has been engaged in health care business including food and energy / environmental business such as biofuel development / manufacturing by utilizing microalgae such as Euglena based on the basic strategy of 5F ^{* 2 of biomass.} I did. The polysaccharide-based bioplastic that we are aiming to develop this time is equivalent to Fiber, which is the area with the highest added value next to food in the 5th floor, and will promote the further utilization of Euglena Euglena will continue to promote businesses that utilize microalgae such as Euglena
* 1 A general term for substances in which a large number of monosaccharide molecules such as glucose are polymerized. Starch, cellulose, etc. Obtained as a biosynthetic product by living organisms, it is widely distributed in the biological world as an energy storage substance or as a structural substance such as cell walls and outer skin.
* 2 Biomass has five uses in descending order of unit price: Food, Fiber, Feed, Fertilizer, and Fuel. Biomass has the highest unit price to the lowest. The business strategy is to reduce the production cost of biomass and expand the availability of biomass by gradually developing the business.

<About Euglena Co., Ltd.>
In 2005, we succeeded in establishing the world's first edible outdoor mass culture technology for the Euglena In addition to developing and selling functional foods and cosmetics that utilize the Euglena and Chlorella produced on Ishigaki Island, we are also conducting research toward the production of biofuels. Listed on TSE Mothers in December 2012. TSE First Section market change in December 2014. The management philosophy is "to make people and the earth healthy". https://euglena.jp

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-Contact for inquiries from the press-
Euglena Co., Ltd. Corporate Communication Division