MarinaTex
Message for the Open Pitch
“Makinohara produces some of the finest tea in the world — a product of exceptional craftsmanship, deep tradition, and a landscape unlike any other. Yet the packaging that carries it to market remains plastic-coated, non-recyclable, and incompatible with Japan's Zero Carbon ambitions. MarinaTex offers a different path. A natural polymer coating, derived from shellfish waste within Makinohara itself, that delivers food-grade barrier performance while keeping the board fully recyclable as paper. No new equipment. No fossil inputs. A closed loop — from Makinohara's waters to Makinohara's tea shelves. Makinohara's tea is world-class. It is time its packaging was too.”
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Proposal overview
MarinaTex is a natural polymer barrier coating replacing plastic laminates on paper packaging, keeping the board fully recyclable as paper. Applied on existing coating lines — no equipment changes — it delivers food-contact barrier performance at TRL 5. Validated: CEPI repulpability 84; ISO LCA 49–67% lower CO₂e vs fossil plastic; food contact cleared at Campden BRI. Cabinet Office 95/2025 (June 2026) mandates migration testing for synthetic resins. As a natural polymer, MarinaTex is exempt — a first-mover advantage for Makinohara. Phase 1 (Q3–Q4 2026): validation with Sagara Bussan, chitin via local fisheries. Phase 2 (2027): commercial pilot with Takayanagi Seicha and Oguri Nouen. Phase 3 (2028+): full licensing. A Zero Carbon supply chain: Makinohara shellfish waste to tea packaging.
Company info
