Cosmetics made from algae: Shiseido and MATSURI's challenge

Cosmetics made from algae: Shiseido and MATSURI's challenge

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Cosmetics made from algae: Shiseido and MATSURI's challenge

Cosmetics made from algae: Shiseido and MATSURI's challenge

owner

Chitose and Ms. Oyama, the R&D manager of Shiseido Co., Ltd. (Shiseido), which is an industrial construction partner of the MATSURI project and invested 1 billion yen in Chitose Group in July 2023 and entered into a strategic collaboration agreement centered on research and development. We conducted a joint interview with group representative Fujita. Together, the two leaders of the sustainable global cosmetics market, building a circular model that maximizes the potential of algae while not depleting resources, talk passionately about the algae-based industry of the near future. The interviewer is Botulio, who was born in Kuching.

This interview is also scheduled to be published in the online media "Sustainable Brand Japan," and many people will be able to get an image of the algae-derived products created by Shiseido, a leader in the cosmetics industry, and the Chitose Group, a leader in the bioeconomy, through this article. I hope that it will reach you.

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Honda and MATSURI's Future with "Algae"

  • Honda was the first company in the automotive industry to focus on algae in its quest to become carbon neutral.

  • Honda has developed "DREAMO" and the aim is to cultivate algae in large quantities.

  • Honda and CHITOSE, which has the world's largest algae production facilities are working together to revitalize and expand the algae industry at MATSURI project.

\ This is how the "power of algae" enriches our lives./

This is how the "power of algae"
enriches our lives.

member

  • Shiseido Co., Ltd.

    Oyama Shihori

  • CHITOSE Group&MATSURI Founder

    Tomohiro Fujita

Partner

  • Shiseido Company, Limited.

  • CHITOSE BIO EVOLUTION PTE.LTD.

Member

  • Shiseido Co., Ltd.

    Oyama Shihori

  • CHITOSE Group&MATSURI Founder

    Tomohiro Fujita

Partner

  • Shiseido Company, Limited.

  • CHITOSE BIO EVOLUTION PTE.LTD.

About this project
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Message of support
Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

My name is Nozomi Fukushima, and I am from Honda R&D Center in Tochigi Prefecture. I am very nervous today because we are gathered here today with professionals from various industries, and Mr. Hoshino is the R&D person whom I respect the most outside the company since I got to know him about 10 years ago. Please accept my best regards.

Aiming to solve other issues as well as fuel

Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

As the table of SDGs shows, there are many challenges that humanity needs to solve. To solve the issues, we cannot solve even a single issue if we work on only one issue. For example, I believe that not only energy issues, but also poverty, food problems, and many other issues must be addressed together, and we must all move in the direction of solving them together, even if only step by step.

Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

This is actually a take-off from Mr. Hoshino. At the time I met Mr. Hoshino, our company was originally thinking only of using algae to make fuel. I asked Mr. Hoshino, "When I say food problem, I don't just mean that there is not enough food, but also the protein crisis. We need to think about the problem of protein shortages around the world," he instructed me. Since then, we have had this desire to use algae to bring not only fuel but also the protein abundant in algae to the children of the world.

SDGs

Carbon recycling rather than carbon neutral

Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

As you are probably aware of global warming caused by increased CO₂ gas emissions, there are various ways to capture CO₂ gas released into the atmosphere: Direct Air Capture (DAC), which captures it directly from the air; absorption by plants and algae through photosynthesis; and other methods. and so on. If the CO₂ originally emitted is 1, it is reduced to 0 by using algae grown by absorbing CO₂ and converting it into something valuable, such as fuel, resin, or foodstuff. Then it returns to 1 when it is used again. This is carbon neutral technology. Repeatedly going carbon neutral does not change the amount of CO₂ on the earth.

Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

CO₂ collected by DAC (Direct Air Capture) can be carbon negative if buried deep underground, but in the case of microalgae, it can be carbon recycled by making electricity through photosynthesis and producing chemical substances to produce valuable products. What kind of things can be produced: functional materials that can be used for fuel and industry, food rich in protein, carbohydrates, glycerol, and fatty acids, feed, medicine and supplements, and most other raw materials that have used fossil fuels in the past. So we are not a carbon neutral or negative team, but a "carbon recycling" team that aims to create fuels, food, and other valuable products from CO₂.

Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

The great thing is not only that it is carbon recycling. For example, when we consider the replacement of raw materials, if we consume protein from algae instead of chickens, cows, or pigs, which we eat now, we can reduce CO₂ emissions by 23.1kg for 1kg of protein source because algae can be produced very efficiently compared to livestock or agriculture. Therefore, although it is not carbon neutral, it has a very high CO₂ reduction effect. The same is true when ethanol fuel is used in place of gasoline. If ethanol is produced from algae, the amount of CO₂ emissions can be reduced to about one-fifth that of gasoline. Thus, the replacement of raw materials makes it possible to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Utilize each company's strengths to solve issues

Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

There are challenges to producing algae. For example, the amount of CO₂ emitted during the production process must be less than the amount of CO₂ absorbed by the algae. Also, since photosynthesis is carried out by direct exposure to sunlight, the temperature rises too high in Summer and, conversely, falls too low in Winter. Contamination (contamination by other algae or bacteria), and so on. There are many other challenges.

Hoshino
Hoshino

We also have a culture facility on the equator in Sarawak, Malaysia, which was recently completed, but we are still facing the same problems such as excessive temperatures and contamination, and we have to solve them one by one every day. But every time we solve one problem, we gain experience in the technology and overcoming problems. We are in the process of building more and more technical barriers. On the other hand, it is very informative and interesting to hear about how Honda and the other participants today who have experience in algae cultivation are solving problems with their technologies.

Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

Some of the issues are being tackled by utilizing our manufacturing technologies, and we realize the value we can provide because we are a manufacturing company. We have devised a culture system that does not require energy to adjust temperature in order to reduce process CO₂ emissions, and we are also working to develop technology to recycle culture medium without reducing production volume. Dreamo is resistant to contamination, has a very high amino acid score, and has almost the same nutritional value as meat. We are considering ways to utilize these characteristics to create value that is not only economical but also useful to the world.

Hoshino
Hoshino

Our plant in Malaysia is very busy dealing with contamination every day. I think it is wonderful that you are able to control contamination so well at your plant, and I would like to ask you about your skills and techniques. If anyone have any experience in outdoor culture, they know that this is a very important point, and I think it is is critical issue whether contamination can be controlled or not in outdoor culture.

After this, Ms. Fukushima, Mr. Hoshino, and the participants engaged in a lively discussion about the challenges experienced by each company in algae cultivation and how they responded to them. The discussion was lively, with some topics bordering on trade secrets, such as, "I can't answer that question".

Is sunlight alone not enough for true carbon neutrality?

participant
participant

There is a theory that in order to achieve true carbon neutrality, it is necessary to use LED light from renewable electricity because sunlight is not efficient enough for production. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Hoshino
Hoshino

Let me first comment on my opinion, I don't think it is necessary at all. Even without supplemental light from LEDs, the light that is currently falling on the ground is more than enough for production. It is said that photosynthetic efficiency of, for example, 10% or 13% can be used, but if we can achieve only 1%, 2%, or 3%, it is more than enough to replace the current light. I believe that we can reach the point of carbon neutrality. I am not just saying that I think so, but I am sure that the calculations will show that.

Nozomi Fukushima
Nozomi Fukushima

I also think the same way. I think that we have not yet been able to bring out the full potential of the algae that we are using, and that we can improve the production efficiency if we study the process more, for example, by studying the combination of elements. However, if we can first find an environment in which they can grow easily, we can use the inexhaustible sunlight, which emits a lot of CO₂ to produce solar power for renewable energy, and we can use the inexhaustible sunlight that will fall on us without using it. I think that using sunlight, which is inexhaustible, will be the key to making food and fuel a thousand years from now. I also believe that solar power alone will be sufficient to achieve this goal. I am not saying that this is the result of calculation, but I just believe in it.

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