Eco-Port

What Eco-Port does

Eco-Port Kyushu (株式会社エコポート九州) is a vertically integrated recycling company headquartered in Kumamoto, Japan, founded in October 2007 as a joint venture between Japan Paper Pulp Trading Co., Ltd. and the Ishizaka Group scrap collection cooperative. It operates six intertwined business divisions on a single Kumamoto site (Kumamoto New Port area): plastic material recycling (optical sorting, warm-water washing, shredding, pelletization) producing high-purity PE/PP recycled resin pellets; plastic intermediate processing (sorting and baling into raw-material bales); ECOPUL confidential document dissolution (direct pulper dissolution producing recycled paper pulp with vein-authentication and 24-hour surveillance security); crepe paper manufacturing from 100% recycled pulp at 2.4 tons/day; RPF solid-fuel manufacturing from difficult-to-recycle plastic/paper/wood/fiber waste supplied to paper manufacturers as a coal substitute; and wood pellet manufacturing from construction, demolition, and thinning wood for residential stoves and industrial boilers. Combined processing capacity exceeds 220 tons/day and the company claims a 99.6% company-wide recycling rate.

The business model is primarily transaction/take-rate based: per-ton processing fees for municipal plastic packaging routed through the Japan Container Packaging Recycling Association (contracted tonnage of 15,647-19,971 tons/year for FY2020-FY2026), quote-based confidential document destruction fees, and per-unit pricing for crepe paper, wood pellets (20kg and 500kg SKUs), and pruning waste disposal (15 yen/kg). Go-to-market is heavily enterprise/government field sales for the plastics and document divisions (municipalities across all Kyushu prefectures, Saga's Kubokata Town, paper manufacturers, government agencies) supplemented by factory-direct and home-delivery channels for wood pellets and crepe paper to households, moving companies, e-commerce firms, and greenhouse operators. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed for most B2B services. A second factory at Kumamoto Port Second Distribution Site (MOU March 25, 2024) will add ~4 billion yen in planned capex and 40 new hires, and a 2024 'Chi no Kyoten' consortium partnership with Kyushu University, Resonac, Marubeni, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank targets chemical-recycling capability expansion.

Name

Eco-Port

Legal name

株式会社エコポート九州

Website

https://eco-port.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Eco-Port Kyushu is a vertically integrated Kumamoto-based recycling company operating six divisions (plastic material, plastic intermediate, ECOPUL document dissolution, crepe paper, RPF fuel, and wood pellets) that serves Kyushu municipalities, paper manufacturers, and enterprises through per-ton processing fees and direct sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Integrated Waste Recycling and Resource Recovery

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Paper Mills (2621), Pulp Mills (2611)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAIAKAA

Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/Plastic Recycling (Mechanical & Chemical/Advanced)

SECONDARYEUAIAKAK

Recycled Resin Trading & Distribution (PCR/PIR Commodity Markets)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/Plastic Recycling (Mechanical & Chemical/Advanced)

SECONDARYBPALADAD

Fiber Recycling & Pulping (Paper, OCC, Mixed Paper)

Business & Public Services/Waste Management & Remediation Services/Recycling & Materials Recovery (MRFs, Sorting, Processing)

SECONDARYIMALAMAC

Recycled-Content Plastic Packaging (rPET, rHDPE, rPP)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Packaging & Containers/Sustainable Packaging Solutions

Keywords

• Plastic recycling services
• Confidential document destruction
• Solid fuel manufacturing
• Wood pellet production
• Recycled crepe paper

Headquarters

HQ city

Kumamoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Plastic Material Recycling (マテリアルリサイクル): Processes used plastic containers and packaging using optical sorting machines to separate by material type, followed by washing and pelletization to produce high-purity single-material recycled resin pellets (PE, PP, etc.). Products include hangers, pail cans, wheel stops, and pellets sold to manufacturers. Revenues come from selling recycled resin pellets and processed plastic products.
2. Plastic Intermediate Processing (プラスチック中間処理): Sorts plastic container packaging from municipalities and companies, removes non-plastic contaminants, compresses and bales plastic waste into plastic bales for sale as raw material for further recycling.
3. Confidential Document Dissolution (機密書類溶解処理) - ECOPUL: Processes confidential documents from government agencies and private companies using security dissolution (pulping) to destroy information and produce old paper pulp (古紙パルプ) as a recycled material. Revenue is earned per ton of processing with client observation rooms available. Also offers storage services for confidential documents with dissolution upon expiry.
4. RPF Solid Fuel Manufacturing (RPF固形燃料): Produces Refuse Paper & Plastic Fuel (RPF) from hard-to-recycle plastic, paper, wood, and fiber waste. RPF is sold primarily to major paper manufacturers as a coal replacement fuel. The company claims 99.6% overall recycling rate attributable to RPF production.
5. Wood Pellet Manufacturing (木質ペレット): Produces wood pellets (8mm diameter) from dried waste wood (construction, demolition, thinning materials) for use in household pellet stoves, factory boilers, and greenhouse boiler fuel. Sold via factory direct sales and home delivery.
6. Crepe Paper Manufacturing (クレープ紙): Produces crepe paper (cushioning paper) from pulped confidential documents at 2.4 tons/day capacity. Products are sold to moving companies, e-commerce businesses, and kiln (ceramics) operators. Sold via factory direct sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Eco-Port Kyushu is an integrated recycling company that processes plastic, paper, wood, and fiber waste into six product and service lines: high-purity recycled resin pellets, baled plastic intermediate materials, securely dissolved confidential documents for recycled paper pulp, crepe cushioning paper, RPF (Refuse Paper & Plastic) solid fuel, and wood biomass pellets. It serves municipal governments, government agencies, private companies, paper manufacturers, packaging end-users, and households across the Kyushu region from a single facility in Kumamoto, Japan.

Product overview

Eco-Port九州 operates as a comprehensive recycling facility in Kumamoto, Japan, offering six integrated recycling services under a unified operation. The core portfolio includes Plastic Material processing (producing再生 resin pellets via optical sorting and温水 washing), Plastic Intermediate Processing (sorting and baling), the ECOPUL confidential document dissolution service (converting sensitive papers into古紙パルプ), Crepe Paper Manufacturing (producing 2.4 tons/day of cushioning paper from recycled materials), RPF solid fuel production (converting difficult-to-recycle plastics and waste into alternative fuel for paper manufacturers), and Wood Pellet manufacturing (producing 8mm biomass pellets from construction and forest thinning waste). All operations are conducted at a single Kyushu-based facility with combined processing capacity exceeding 180 tons per day across all waste streams, with a company-wide recycling rate of 99.6%.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• エコパル (ECOPUL): Brand name for the confidential document dissolution processing service, producing recycled paper pulp (古紙パルプ) from securely dissolved confidential documents.
• プラマテリアル (Plastic Material)
• 木質ペレット

Products and services

• Plastic Material Recycling (プラマテリアル) Uses optical sorting machines to separate plastic container packaging by material type (PE, PP, etc.) and produces recycled resin pellets through crushing, warm-water washing, and granulation. 100.8 tons/day processing capacity. Products include hangers, pail cans, wheel stops, and pellets sold to manufacturers.
• Plastic Intermediate Processing (プラ中間処理) Sorts plastic container packaging from municipalities and businesses, removes non-plastic contaminants, and compresses the materials into bales for sale as raw material for further recycling. 72 tons/day processing capacity.
• ECOPUL Confidential Document Dissolution (機密書類溶解処理) Securely destroys confidential documents from government agencies and private companies through direct pulper dissolution (no shredding required), producing recycled paper pulp while maintaining high information security. 48 tons/day processing capacity, with 3-5 tons/hour throughput, client witnessing rooms, vein authentication, and 24-hour surveillance. Also offers secure storage with dissolution upon expiry. ISO 27001 certified.
• Crepe Paper Manufacturing (クレープ紙製造) Manufactures crepe paper (cushioning paper) from 100% recycled confidential document pulp without virgin pulp, at 2.4 tons/day capacity. Sold to moving companies, e-commerce businesses, and pottery/ceramics kilns as a low-cost alternative to plastic air-cap cushioning. Wide size range including small teacup to large dinner plate formats.
• RPF (Refuse Paper & Plastic Fuel) Manufacturing (RPF固形燃料製造) Produces solid fuel from hard-to-recycle plastic, paper, wood, and fiber waste, sold primarily to major paper manufacturers as a coal replacement. Achieves approximately 30% CO2 reduction versus coal. Optical sorting automatically removes chlorine-containing plastics from the input stream. Key contributor to the company's 99.6% overall recycling rate.
• Wood Pellet Manufacturing (木質ペレット製造) Produces 8mm diameter wood pellets from dried waste wood (construction waste, demolition materials, thinning wood) for use as biomass fuel in residential pellet stoves, greenhouse boilers, and factory boilers. Sold via factory direct and home delivery in 20kg bags and 500kg flexible containers. Sample products available for first-time combustion testing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.6% overall recycling rate (company-wide)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Chi no Kyoten (知の拠点) ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2024Eco-Port Kyushu signed a partnership agreement on October 23, 2024 with the 'Chi no Kyoten' (Knowledge Hub) joint venture comprising Kyushu University Green Technology Research and Education Center, Resonac Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. The partnership aims to build an optimal recycling process for the Kyushu region combining material recycling and chemical recycling for waste plastics, with early social implementation as the goal. The consortium was established in January 2024 as the first local production-consumption model in the Kyushu region.
• Kubokata Town, Saga Prefecture (佐賀県江北町)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Eco-Port Kyushu received official certification from the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as the re-commercialization facility for both plastic container packaging and product plastics from Kubokata Town, effective FY2025 (April 1, 2025 intake, for 3 years). This is the first dual-category re-commercialization certified plan in Kyushu. The company aims to use this as a model case for promoting material recycling throughout Kyushu.
• Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2024Eco-Port Kyushu signed a memorandum of understanding with Kumamoto Prefecture on March 25, 2024 for the acquisition of land at the Kumamoto Port Second Distribution Site for construction of a second factory. The second factory aims to strengthen processing capacity in response to increased plastic processing demand under the Plastic Resource Circulation Promotion Act (effective April 2022). Planned investment: approximately 4 billion yen (excluding land). Planned new hires: 40 employees.
• Japan Container Packaging Recycling Association (公益財団法人日本容器包装リサイクル協会)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEco-Port Kyushu is commissioned by the Japan Container Packaging Recycling Association (JCSRA) to perform re-commercialization of plastic container packaging waste. The company has a long-standing operational relationship with JCSRA, with annual contracted quantities ranging from 15,647t to 19,971t over FY2020-FY2026. This is the primary revenue channel for the plastic material recycling division.
• Kumamoto City (熊本市)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEco-Port Kyushu provides waste collection and recycling services for Kumamoto City's household plastic container packaging and general/industrial waste streams. Kumamoto City also refers citizens to Eco-Port for tree pruning waste processing (charged service). The city and Eco-Port cooperate on various environmental initiatives.
• Kamipa Co., Ltd. / 日本紙パルプ商事株式会社coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKamipa Co., Ltd. is a core partner and investor in Eco-Port Kyushu. Its Senior Executive Officer (上席執行役員)远藤豊 serves as Chairman of Eco-Port Kyushu. Kamipa is a paper and pulp trading company that also provides strategic support. Eco-Port sells RPF solid fuel to paper manufacturers (including Kamipa-related entities) and produces pulp materials that flow back into the paper industry.
• Ishizaka Group / 有価物回収協業組合石坂グループcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIshizaka Group (Ishizaka Collective Valuable Materials Recovery Partnership) is the other core partner and investor in Eco-Port Kyushu. Its representative Isao Ishizaka (石坂繁典) serves as board director, and the group representative 石坂孝光 serves as President and CEO of Eco-Port Kyushu. Ishizaka Group's representative also serves as the company's Representative Director.
• Kumamoto City Co-op / 生活協同組合くまもとminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEco-Port Kyushu co-hosts annual food drive programs with Kumamoto Prefecture and Kumamoto City Co-op (Seikyou). The co-op provides drop-off locations for collected food items. These programs support SDG goals (particularly goal 4: Quality Education) and food waste reduction while building community goodwill.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Nippon Paper Industries: Major Japanese paper manufacturer that consumes recovered pulp and RPF fuel; represents the downstream customer/offtake side of Eco-Port's pulp and solid-fuel outputs rather than a direct competitor.
• Vecoplan: Provider of shredding, sorting, and RDF/RPF production equipment for recyclers; an enabling technology/equipment supplier to operations like Eco-Port rather than a competing processor.
• Iron Mountain: Global records storage and secure document destruction provider; overlaps specifically with Eco-Port's ECOPUL confidential document storage-and-destruction business, though via shredding rather than dissolution.

Emerging players

• Amita Holdings: Japanese resource-circulation company converting waste into recycled raw materials and alternative fuels for cement/paper industries; overlaps in zero-emission recycling and RPF-style fuel supply.

Regional players

• Ichikawa Kankyo Engineering: Regional Japanese industrial waste and recycling processor; comparable intermediate-processing and material-recovery model serving municipal and corporate clients in a different territory.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia: Global waste management, recycling, and resource recovery multinational; operates the same broad category of plastic and material recycling at vastly larger scale and geographic reach.
• Daiei Kankyo: Japanese industrial and municipal waste processing and recycling company; comparable business model of intermediate processing and resource recovery, but far larger and multi-region.
• TRE Holdings: Large Japanese waste management and recycling group (formed from Takeei and Rematec) handling industrial waste, recycling, and RPF; overlaps broadly with Eco-Port's recycling and solid-fuel operations at national scale.

Direct peers

• Refinverse Group: Japanese industrial recycler processing waste plastics, fiber, and other streams into recycled materials and RPF/solid fuel; directly comparable in mixed-material recycling and fuel production.
• Ishizaka Sangyo: Waste sorting and recycling operator achieving very high recycling rates from mixed construction and industrial waste; closely comparable in high-diversion multi-material recovery and shares a name/lineage with Eco-Port's Ishizaka parent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eco-Port