Toyota Tsusho Corporation ("Toyota Tsusho") announced today that it has received the Japan Business Federation Chairman's Prize at the 34th Grand Prize for the Global Environment Award.

The Grand Prize for the Global Environment Award was established in 1992 by FUJISANKEI COMMUNICATIONS GROUP with the aim of achieving harmony between industrial development and the global environment. The award honors organizations with outstanding achievements in areas such as preventing global warming, developing new technologies and products that contribute to a recycling-oriented society, promoting environmental conservation activities and businesses, exploring sustainable social systems, and raising awareness of global environmental protection.

Toyota Tsusho has received this prize in recognition of its outstanding achievements in support of the waste fishing net recycling business led by Bureo, Inc. (United States) in partnership with Ellange, Inc. and Toyota Tsusho under the initiative titled: "Taking on the Challenge of Sustainable Textile Recycling with NetPlus^® by Connecting Manufacturing, Sales, and Local Communities with Waste Fishing Nets."

Toyota Tsusho Group will continue to promote carbon neutrality, the circular economy, and nature positivity in and integrated manner as a good corporate citizen, strive to solve environmental issues, and help create a sustainable society to "pass on a better Earth to the children of the future."

Bureo collects and sorts waste fishing nets in ways that contribute to local communities, and owns and operates NetPlus^®, a brand of 100% recycled nylon material made from waste fishing nets. Ellange, which is based in Chiba Prefecture, entered into a partnership with Bureo in 2023 to partner on the waste fishing net recycling scheme in Japan. Building on trusted relationships with fisheries stakeholders, the initiative collects waste fishing nets and, under strict traceability management, works to produce high-quality recycled nylon material. Toyota Tsusho collaborates by providing commercial partnership through its investment in Bureo and development of sales channels for NetPlus^®. By having fisheries stakeholders actively participate in quality checks and sorting, the initiative aims to realize a sustainable resources recycling model that combines environmental value with local and economic value.

Going forward, by expanding the use of recycled nylon material produced in Japan across a wide range of industries and products, the initiative aims to simultaneously reduce marine pollution, promote resources recycling, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The three companies will continue working together to enhance the value of NetPlus^® and accelerate the positive environmental impact of the recycling program.

Company name	Bureo Inc.
Location	Ventura, California, USA
Established	2013
Representative	David M. Stover(CEO), Kevin Ahearn(CTO), Ben Kneppers(COO)
Business description	Net Collection, processing, and manufacturing of NetPlus® products. Owner and operator of the NetPlus® brand and social program management, etc.
Corporate Site	https://bureo.co/

Company name	Ellange Inc.
Location	(Head Office) 2F Commercial Building, 10147 Ichinomiya, Ichinomiya-machi, Chosei-gun Chiba, Japan (Office) 2657-48 Hamasuku, Shirako-machi, Chosei-gun, Chiba, Japan
Established	2021
Representative	President Kotaro Seki
Business description	Manufacturing (collection/recovery, processing, and sales of fishing nets)
Corporate Site	https://ellange.co.jp/ (Japanese)

https://www.sankei-award.jp/eco/ (Japanese)