A C4 inspection event was held at the end of May 2024, bringing together 32 MATSURI participating companies and nearly 100 participants. C4: "Chitose Carbon Central Capture"
C4, which will be the base for building an algae industry, is located in Kuching, Malaysia and is the world's largest scale at 5 ha, with many companies participating who are aiming to develop algae-derived products and build an industry together. When people hear about using algae biomass, many people imagine chemical manufacturers or specific industries, but the algae industry we are aiming to build can transform petroleum-derived products that are indispensable in daily life into algae-derived products, so we have invited a wide range of companies and institutions to participate in the inspection event, including major banks, cosmetics manufacturers, food manufacturers, the construction industry, and the fuel industry.
Despite the scorching heat of Malaysia, the participants not only engaged in lively discussions across various industries about the current state of microalgae production, future research and development, and the global issue of achieving a carbon-neutral world, but also talked passionately about how their companies plan to use microalgae in their mid- to long-term plans, and the purpose of their participation in the MATSURI project, which aims to build an algae industry. We would like to introduce these passionate discussions that took place at the production site!
■ Mizuho Bank Ltd. Mr. Tatsuo Adachi
Managing Executive Officer
It is much more than I imagined from the photos. 5 hectares have been completed so far, and the next milestone is 2000 hectares. I think it will have a huge impact. It is important to solve the issues of transportation and facilities and make it a reality. Please let me support you.
■Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Mr. Motohiro Suzuki
Next Generation Technology Research Institute Director (Executive Officer)
Algae is one answer for the post-petroleum era. We will provide solutions using not only microalgae but also various other pieces. It is probably not possible to achieve this with just one thing. I think MATSURI (consortium) was created to bring together various companies and think of various solutions.
■Ikeda Tohka Kogyo Co., Ltd. Mr. Shinji Mizunoue
Managing Director
The market development of algae-derived foods is still unknown.
I think the challenge for developing a food product is to decide what value consumers place on it: taste, nutrition, health, or beauty? .
■Shiseido Co., Ltd. Ms. Tomoko Ikeda
Chief Brand & Product Innovation Officer
I think that algae-derived raw materials have a good image among consumers, but it is difficult to know whether this will lead to purchasing motivation, so we need a story. Expectations for algae are "something that should be in the future." First of all, we will absolutely develop it from what we can! It seems that depending on the type of algae, it is easier or harder to implement, so we would like to obtain some and start development immediately.
■ Mr. Toshihiko Sakura, NYK Trading Co., Ltd.
Executive Director
There are high expectations for the cultivation. I think that the cultivation techniques are well thought out and that the location is well thought out.
The NYK Group has said that it will operate zero-carbon ships by 2050, and that it must achieve this somehow, so we, as a group company, would like to play our role in this by supplying fuel, etc. It would be even better if we could achieve zero carbon not only with marine fuel, but also with oil-related products such as lubricants that use oil extracted from algae.
■Resonac Inc. Keiko Fujimori
Senior Assistant Manager, Market Development Group 3, Corporate Marketing Department
When I arrived at C4, I immediately felt that it was in line with the philosophy of the MATSURI project, as I saw how they were building it together with the local researchers and workers. The cultivation, the equipment, and the algae produced are all made by people, so my first thought was that I want to use them carefully. I think that various products derived from algae will definitely be necessary for carbon negative in the future.
■L'OREAL Philippe PROVOST
SOURCING/Director
C4: That's great. At L'Oréal, we care about our ingredients - bio-based or recycled - so we're always looking for new ways to produce the materials we need. We still have a long way to go in terms of bio-based sourcing, but it's great to see that we're already at this level - and I can't wait to see it happen soon.
■Chanel R&I LLC, Mr. Hideyuki Yamaki
Cosmetics Research Laboratory Research & Development Project Manager
Until now I could only see it in photos, but when I actually came here, even 5 hectares seemed quite large. I heard that they plan to expand this to 100 hectares by 2027 and then to 2,000 hectares, but I feel that there are still many challenges to overcome. Pharmaceuticals are becoming stricter when it comes to using raw materials for cosmetics, but natural raw materials have a promising future. I am also very interested in the trends of other companies in the industry, and if we can work together we can both reduce costs, so I would like to work with MATSURI to the extent that we can.
■Sanoh Industrial Co., Ltd. Mr. Susumu Takenoki
New Business Development Headquarters New Business Marketing Department
I have seen C4 on their website and in documents, but when I actually came here I was surprised at how large the scale was. I was also very happy to be able to hear the real voices of the people who are actually working on the site, such as the issues and inconveniences they face. We make our living by making piping for automobiles, but we would like to use our technology to propose CO2 piping at C4 as well. I was very interested in proposing a major product that is easy to reassemble, detach, and highly user-friendly.
■Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.
Chief, Market Co-Creation Promotion Department, Business Creation Headquarters
I was excited to see the algae production facility C4! Seeing the actual 5ha, not just on a lab scale, made me realize that they are serious about creating an industry. I also learned that there are many challenges ahead as they expand, so I thought there might be ways for us to help. The first thing I felt when I came to C4 was the strong enthusiasm to "try something new."
■ Japan Tobacco Inc.
Food Business Planning Division Deputy Manager
It was great to see with my very own eyes how they draw in CO2 from a thermal power plant, utilize it on a large area of 5ha, and turn algae into a product, and to feel that it's not just something that's done in a laboratory, but that it's really being made. Table Mark also develops frozen foods, so I think it will take a little more time before they start using algae in food products like that. We do open cultivation and make yeast extract, and since this is also a microorganism, we have in common the fact that it can be used for useful purposes. I think it was really amazing to actually be able to see the production facilities.
■Alfa Laval K.K. Mr. Hirotaka Awano
Marketing & Communications Department Manager
We often hear about sustainability design, which is vague and good for the earth, whether it's corroded oil, cellulose, or algae, but I think the pioneering MATSURI project is very valuable. I'd like to actually participate in the project and continue to put forward how we can contribute to sustainability in the future.
■Toa Construction Co., Ltd. Mr. Fumihiko Osawa
Thank you for letting me tour your wonderful facility. As this is the world's largest first effort, I think there will be various problems. I hope that everyone on the project can share their ideas. After all, I think that the current global trend is unavoidable in relation to green innovation. CO2 capture in fuel is also a hot topic, so I hope that we can start by gathering information and create a win-win structure in the future. Our company itself is well aware of carbon pricing and other issues within the company, and it is a topic that has a centripetal force in terms of CO2 efforts, so we have various ideas, and I would like to share C4 as one of them within the company.
■ Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd.
General Manager, Malaysian subsidiary, International Group Business Management Division
We don't know yet what exactly we will do using algae. As a Japanese algae company, we need to show something in the future. I think the current situation is that we are exploring how we can cooperate to build an algae industry. We hope to be able to grasp the future points through the C4 inspection tour. We are still in the process of thinking about how we can use our technology to reduce electricity consumption and water resource consumption.
