Announcement of Winners of the FY2020 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) Promotion Merit Awards

1. Purpose and outline of the awards program

The awards program has been held annually since 1992 to recognize individuals, groups, schools, enterprises, and other entities for their outstanding levels of community-based, unique and pioneering contributions to promoting the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) that encourages further development of such activities. The program is hosted by the 3Rs Promotion Council and supported by seven related ministries,* including METI.

*Note: The seven related ministries:
Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), and Ministry of the Environment (MOE).

2. Details of the applicants and the examination process

The council received 97 applications, nominated by the 66 member entities of the council in addition to governors of prefectures, while the examination committee of academic experts, consumer organization representatives, officials from related ministries and agencies, and others (chair: Dr. Kimura Fumihiko, Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo) examined the applications and selected the winners of the respective Minister’s Prizes from the related ministries, including the Prime Minister’s Prize, the METI Minister’s Prize, and also the 3Rs Promotion Council President’s Prize.

3. Details of the winners

Prime Minister’s Prize	Iwasaki Municipal Junior High School, Fukaura Town, Aomori Prefecture	Recycling activities aiming at building a cycle of environmental education and region-oriented contributions at the base of the Shirakamisanchi mountainous area, a UNESCO world heritage site
Prime Minister’s Prize	Shikaoi Town, Hokkaido Prefecture	Effective utilization of biomass derived from domestic livestock waste at biogas plants: Another approach to dairy husbandry in addition to milking
METI Minister’s Prize	Hirakin Corporation (corporate number: 8260001005675)	“Eco-Bin”: Japan’s first resource-accumulation system based on people’s participation
METI Minister’s Prize	Well Create Co., Ltd. (corporate number: 5290801010940)	“Establishment of a symbiotic community for regional recycling and activities for dissemination and awareness raising of the community” through building a food recycling group, which is the first such effort in the Kitakyushu area

Table of the winners of the Prime Minister’s Prize and other minister’s prizes from the seven related ministries

Prime Minister’s Prize	2	MAFF Minister’s Prize	1
MOF Minister’s Prize	No winner	METI Minister’s Prize	2
MEXT Minister’s Prize	No winner	MLIT Minister’s Prize	4
MHLW Minister’s Award	No winner	MOE Minister’s Prize	1

4. Commendation ceremony

Date and time: October 27 (Tue.), 2020; from 14:00 to 15:00
Venue: KKR Hotel Tokyo (1-4-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo)

5. Contact counter for the details of the awards program and the presentation ceremony

For the details of the awards program and the presentation ceremony, contact the Secretariat of the 3Rs Promotion Council.

Details about the winners and their awards have been posted on the council’s website.

Secretariat of the 3Rs Promotion Council (part of the Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry):
Address: 2-2-1 Kaji-cho, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo
Telephone: 03-5209-7704 (main number)

• Official website (in Japanese):

Appendix

• Outline of the Prime Minister’s Prize and METI Minister’s Prize of the FY2020 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) Promotion Merit Awards (in Japanese)(PDF:1,800KB)

Division in Charge

Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Division, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau