Shochu production that does not pollute the sea--Usa City, Oita Prefecture, 2000

Shochu production that does not pollute the sea--Usa City, Oita Prefecture, 2000

Around the year 2000, Japan's legal system for waste disposal and environmental conservation was successively strengthened. In particular, by the end of the 1990s, ocean dumping of waste had become a major international problem, and amendments to the London Convention and domestic legislation were moving toward a general ban on ocean disposal of organic waste. For shochu manufacturers, the disposal of the large amount of liquid waste (so-called shochu waste liquid) generated during the production process was an urgent issue. This liquid waste contains high concentrations of organic matter and can cause marine pollution if dumped as is.

Sanwa Shuzui, located in Usa City, Oita Prefecture, is one of Japan's leading manufacturers known for its shochu "Iichiko." In response to this trend toward stricter environmental regulations, the company moved up its plan to dispose of all liquid waste on land, which was originally scheduled to begin in August 2000. The company has established various recycling routes, including the use of the liquid waste as fermented barley extract for food products, conversion to livestock feed and fertilizer, and even energy use through methane fermentation.

These efforts went beyond mere regulatory compliance and contributed to the local economy and the formation of a recycling-oriented society. Collaboration with food and feed manufacturers also supported local agriculture, and biogas obtained from the processing process was used as the company's own energy, contributing to reducing dependence on fossil fuels. At the time, "zero emissions," the reuse of food waste and manufacturing by-products, was becoming a factor in corporate competitiveness in Japan, and the Sanwa Sake Brewery case attracted attention as an advanced model originating from a local region.