Our company participated for the first time in the business contest "Decabo Challenge," hosted by Earth hacks Inc., held in September 2026. This business contest is a social issue-solving business contest where companies, government ministries, and local governments collaborate with current university students of Generation Z to create new businesses that contribute to realizing a "Decarbonization (Decarbonization) society." In this event, participating companies and local governments each present their own themes, and students propose new business ideas based on those themes.
Through the five-day program, our company shared with students the challenges and initiatives of our group toward realizing a circular society, while also providing advice on exchanging opinions and providing advice to help realize ideas more accessible and appealing, aiming to build a new system that makes resource collection more accessible and attractive.
Our group will expand the circle of circular economy and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through co-creation with students who will lead the next generation.
Our company presented the participating students with the theme: "Design the 'world's coolest resource recovery system' provided by Toyo Seikan Group."
We asked students to propose innovative systems that not only circulate limited resources but also provide "experiential value" that encourages young people to voluntarily participate in resource collection, leveraging our group's technology and network.
From the perspective of a comprehensive packaging container manufacturer that globally provides containers utilizing the characteristics of diverse materials such as metal, plastic, paper, and glass, we shared current challenges in resource recovery and the importance of circular economy. Additionally, we introduced examples of initiatives we are promoting and exchanged opinions and provided advice to help students realize ideas proposed by students.
Students proposed many innovative proposals unique to students, such as proposals for unexpected collection points that focus on consumer flow and new systems combining our group's products with new systems, addressing resource collection challenges such as a lack of collection sites and the hassle of sorting.
Student teams that tackled the themes presented by our company were recognized for their originality and business viability, winning the grand prize.
The five days spent with the students provided a valuable opportunity to re-examine the nature of packaging containers.
Born from the idea that "cool = something to imitate," "Peripo" * won the final round and received the Grand Prix. As a company that delivers many containers to the world, we feel that this proposal was full of hints about the responsibility we must fulfill. We would like to express our gratitude once again to everyone who persistently refined the proposal.
Going forward, we will work with relevant parties to consider implementation.
*This popcorn paper container, proposed by the student team that won the grand prize at this event, allows for fun sorting by peeling off the film. It incorporates unique features into our group's paper container, "Tokan FF CUP ES," adding the value of "the fun of sorting" to the container itself. Intended for use in movie theaters and school festivals, this new business model encourages voluntary resource recycling by transforming the "hassle of sorting" into "excitement."
Our group aims to commercialize the ideas generated in this contest and will continue to collaborate with students. As part of this effort, we will promote concrete considerations, such as introducing resource recovery models at entertainment facilities like movie theaters and event venues like school festivals.
Dates: September 4th (Fri), 5th (Sat), 11th (Fri), 12th (Sat), 14th (Mon), 2026
Organizer: Earth hacks Inc.
Reference: Earth hacks Inc. Press release dated October 15, 2026 From co-creation between companies/local governments and students to social implementation: The 10th "Dekabo Challenge 2026 Summer" was held."