“Bio-recycling of Waste Plastic Resources” Project Selected for NEDO’s Bio-manufacturing Revolution Program
August 6th, 2025- Tokyo, Japan-bitBiome, Inc. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yuji Suzuki) and Bell Polyester Products Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture; CEO: Kousaku Nishino) have been selected for a project under the “Bio-manufacturing Revolution Promotion Program” by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization of Japan). The details of the selected project are as follows:
- Program Name: Research and Development of Technologies to Promote Biomanufacturing (by NEDO)
- Project Title: Realizing Bio-recycling of Waste Plastic Resources
- Project Overview:
This project will build a fully integrated process from the collection of unused PET resources to enzymatic decomposition into monomer raw materials, and finally to the production of recycled PET products via co-polymerization. The required proprietary enzymes will be developed using bitBiome’s enzyme discovery and development platform. Bell Polyester Products will leverage its existing PET resin production lines to ensure commercial-scale production capacity, aiming to establish an efficient bio-recycling process for co-polymerized PET resin.
Through this NEDO initiative, the two companies aim to shift PET recycling from traditional mechanical, thermal, or chemical methods (such as material and chemical recycling) to bio-based recycling processes. As a final product of bio-manufacturing, they will generate environmentally friendly, high-value-added co-polymerized recycled PET resin products that outperform conventional PET in utility and sustainability. This initiative will help bring cutting-edge biotechnologies into real-world applications and contribute to the growth and acceleration of bio-manufacturing in Japan.
About bitBiome, Inc.
Since its founding, bitBiome has leveraged its proprietary single-cell microbial genome analysis technology, bit-MAP®, which does not require microbial culturing. This has enabled the analysis of genomes from diverse environments—such as soil, ocean, and thermophilic microbes. As of August 2025, the company has built a proprietary database, bit-GEM, containing over 2.4 billion genes. By combining genes mined from bit-GEM with proprietary bioinformatics and automated bio-experimentation technologies under the bit-QED platform, bitBiome enables the rapid, low-cost development of essential enzymes and microbial strains for the bio-manufacturing industry.
About Bell Polyester Products Co., Ltd.
Bell Polyester Products is a synthetic resin manufacturer specializing in high-performance resins such as co-polymerized and specialty polyester resins, based on advanced polymer technology. In recent years, the company has launched “Bio BellPET,” a PET resin partially made from biomass-derived raw materials and continues to build its expertise in the development and manufacture of environmentally conscious products.
Related Links:
- NEDO News Releases: https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/index.html
- List of Selected Projects under the Bio-manufacturing Revolution Program: https://www.nedo.go.jp/activities/ZZJP_100246.html
Contact Information
- bitBiome, Inc.
Research & Development Dept. – NEDO Project Division
Contact: info@bitbiome.co.jp - Bell Polyester Products Co., Ltd.
Contact via website: https://www.bellpet.co.jp/contact/