Ricoh to exhibit its plant-derived new material “PLAiR” at NET ZERO Leaders Summit

TOKYO, July 20, 2021 – Ricoh Company, Ltd. will exhibit its new material derived from plant and air “PLAiR” at the online exhibition NET ZERO Leaders Summit (Japan Business Conference 2021) (Organizers: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)) from July 28, 2021.

The Summit aims to promote Japan's green investment and initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to the world. In alignment with the exhibition's theme of challenge to carbon neutral by realizing “positive cycle of economic growth and environmental protection,” total of 54 companies, including start-up and green-related companies, and local governments will exhibit their technologies and pride.

Ricoh's exhibit PLAiR is a foamed PLA sheet with flexibility and strength, primarily made of PLA (polylactic acid) produced from plant-derived starch and sugar which undergoes a foaming process utilizing Ricoh's “CO₂ fine foam technology.” When burnt, PLA does not increase the net amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere (carbon neutral) and degrades into water and CO₂ under controlled environments such as soil or compost (compostable). Because of its ecological benefits, PLAiR has been anticipated as an alternative to conventional fossil-derived plastic. Ricoh's supercritical CO₂ technology produces uniform bubbles only tens of microns in diameter. Through the kneading process, fillers (foam nucleating agents) are evenly distributed in PLA, and the foaming takes place with the fillers as nuclei. This allowed our experts to create a foamed PLA sheet, known as PLAiR.

Ricoh's foamed PLA sheet has adjustable foam expansion rate and is striving to offer wide range of applications such as cushioning, packing materials and various container types. Since November 2020, Ricoh has begun sample offering and currently partially using PLAiR as cushioning for its own full-color multifunction printers.

Ricoh is committed to making a zero-carbon, circular economy, where everyone feels secure in using any material around them. We will continue the development of this new material PLAiR.