Terabo’s Recycled Plastic Future

Founded in 1912, Terabo Co., Ltd. is a 113-year-old plastics manufacturer based in Osaka, Japan. For the past five decades, it has produced an array of engineering plastics, with a recent focus on environmentally friendly materials for industries such as the automotive sector.

One of Terabo’s core efforts is its recycled nylon business, built around polyamide 6 (PA6) and polyamide 66 (PA66). The company recovers a wide range of scrap, including PA6 film, PA66 airbags, and even discarded fishing nets retrieved from the ocean, and transforms them into high-quality materials.

By tailoring each blend to meet specific strength and sustainability goals, Terabo delivers custom compounds reinforced or mixed with virgin polymers as needed. These materials find their way into everything from household items to auto parts. Within the automotive sector, Terabo plays a key role in sustainability projects now underway.

The second standout product is Caracle, a biomass plastic blended with eggshell powder—an innovation that’s recently drawn national media attention in Japan. Terabo creates this material by finely cleaning, processing, and micronizing eggshells, then compounding them into various plastics tailored to customer needs.

Eggshells, a familiar and easily recognizable waste material, offer a compelling example of circular design: the more that’s added, the more eco-friendly the product becomes. Rich in calcium carbonate, they bond well with many plastics, allowing for a wide range of custom formulations. Caracle is already in use across industries, from consumer goods to automotive parts.

Plastic often sits at the center of environmental debates, yet it remains essential to modern life. Terabo is committed to developing plastics that reduce environmental impact—materials designed to meet today’s needs without compromising the future.

To hear more from President Norio Fukawa of Terabo, check out this interview with him.