Suzuki outboard motors will soon be delivered by Suzuki Motor Company in innovative packaging specifically engineered to significantly decrease overall waste and the reliance on petroleum-based plastics.
Suzuki is making two important changes to its packaging materials. First, the company will replace traditional polystyrene foam packing material with Green Planet™, a biodegradable polymer developed by Kaneka Corporation. This new material is easily decomposable in seawater and is made from 100% biomass-derived polymers.
Secondly,to ensure that its outboard motors are still well protected during shipping, Suzuki has also developed a two-layer structure of recyclable corrugated cardboard material. This new structure is designed to provide supplemental protection to the Green Planet foam alternative. As a result, Suzuki outboards will be fully protected during shipping and transportation, while also significantly reducing plastic waste. This change will start with outboard motors, but Suzuki plans to eventually switch the packaging materials for all its products to more sustainable options.
One of its primary objectives is to reduce the use of plastics in packaging and shipping, and Suzuki has achieved significant milestones in this regard. For instance, in FY2020, the annual consumption of petroleum-based plastic for the final packaging of outboard motors produced in Japan amounted to 43 tons. However, by FY2023, this figure had been effectively reduced to 6.3 tons. Looking ahead, Suzuki aims to completely eradicate this usage by FY2026 as part of its comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Suzuki's CLEAN OCEAN PROJECT is dedicated to exploring and implementing innovative solutions to minimize plastic waste and promote the development of environmentally friendly alternatives, which has gained global momentum.
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