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Companies Expanding Overseas
AMITA HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

Companies Expanding Overseas

AMITA HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

About AMITA HOLDINGS

Since its foundation in 1979, the AMITA Group has been developing circular economy initiatives guided by the conviction that ‘there is nothing that has no value in the world’. At the time, of its founding the very concept of recycling was not yet common practice it was an era when large quantities of waste were incinerated or landfilled without question. We raised the question: ‘Are these materials truly worthless?’ and conducted in-depth analysis of waste components down to the elemental level. The results revealed that these wastes contained abundant substances possessing sufficient value as resources. This discovery marked the beginning of our challenge to create a 100% resource recovery service, transforming waste into an alternative to natural resources. At that time, steel dust discharged from steelworks was being landfilled. However, it was discovered that this dust contained high levels of high-purity zinc. Success was achieved in recycling it as raw material at the smelting works, transforming waste into a resource.

Today, alongside this 100% recycling service, we offer support services for corporate transitions to sustainability management, assistance in shifting towards sustainable regional models, the environmental assessment and certification services for forestry and fisheries, waste management systems, and sustainable BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) services. Through all these businesses, we continue to pursue our mission of realizing a sustainable society, grounded in the principles of circularity and inclusion

What products is your company aiming to expand overseas?

The AMITA Group is currently focusing its overseas expansion primarily on Malaysia and Indonesia. Its strength lies in proprietary technology established at domestic manufacturing facilities: blending diverse industrial waste streams difficult to recycle conventionally and achieving 100% resource recovery into products usable in the materials industry. Building upon this technology, in Malaysia, with the support of Kitakyushu City, we established a joint venture with a major local corporation. The factory commenced operations in 2017 and has become established as a social infrastructure, fully recycling 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of industrial waste annually. Furthermore, in Indonesia, we established a joint venture (JV) with a local company in 2024, aiming for factory operation by 2027.

Our company aims not merely to provide waste disposal solutions, but to drive sustainable social transformation. We achieve this by leveraging G-to-G (government-to-government) collaboration between Japan and relevant ministries in host countries, alongside partner governments. This enables us to build circular industries locally and export/deploy the methodology of Japan's resource circulation system.

What kind of international cooperation and overseas business expansion has your company undertaken to date?

With an eye on expansion into Asia, our group commenced operations at its recycled resources manufacturing plant in Kitakyushu City in 2010. From 2013, we participated in surveys of Asian countries through the Ministry of the Environment's Inter-City Cooperation Project. Among these, Malaysia proved to be the country with the highest business potential. Particularly with the various overseas expansion support received from Kitakyushu City, we succeeded in commercializing the venture. Initially, we faced the challenge of gaining approval from the local Department of Environment (DOE), who did not fully understand our technology. Therefore, we invited the responsible officials to Japan to observe the entire process, from the production of our recycled products to their utilization at cement plants (the end users). Furthermore, by carefully explaining the concept of intermediate treatment within Japan's waste management system, we gained their understanding that our technology could contribute to the Malaysian government's goal of zero landfill. This led to the successful acquisition of permits and the realization of the business.

To achieve successful overseas expansion, support from national governments and local authorities such as Kitakyushu City is highly valuable. Furthermore, how to cultivate and secure talented overseas personnel is vital. We hope to continue working with Kitakyushu City in these areas.

What are your company's future prospects?

AMITA's corporate philosophy and unique business model have garnered global attention, and we are confident this is an area poised for further expansion. To realize this growth, we will advance not solely as an individual company, but through collaboration with partners who share our values. India, in particular, represents a promising market where our business value is increasing as pollution issues become more apparent. In the Republic of Palau, where we have collaborated with Kitakyushu City for many years, we aim to establish an “Autonomous Decentralized Island Nation Circular Model” to address the four key challenges unique to island nations: waste, food, energy, and global warming. Our goal is to establish this sustainable island nation model and deploy it to remote areas worldwide facing similar challenges.

AMITA HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

Corporate Website:https://en.amita-hd.co.jp/
Head Office Address:535 Akinono-cho, Oshikoji-agaru-Karasuma-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 604-0847, Japan