Shochu production that does not pollute the sea--Usa City, Oita Prefecture, 2000
Around the year 2000, regulations concerning environmental protection were rapidly being tightened in Japan, and marine disposal of waste was becoming severely restricted both internationally and domestically. The revision of the London Convention and the establishment of domestic laws have prohibited, in principle, marine disposal of organic wastes, making the disposal of liquid waste containing high concentrations of organics generated during the shochu production process a serious issue for shochu manufacturers. Since dumping this liquid waste as it is would cause ocean pollution, the establishment of land-based treatment technology was an urgent task.
Sanwa Shuzui, located in Usa City, Oita Prefecture, is one of the leading manufacturers in Japan known for its shochu "Iichiko. The company had originally planned to begin land-based treatment of all of its liquid waste in August 2000, but decided to move up the schedule in response to stricter regulations. The company has established various recycling routes, including the use of the liquid waste, which had been partially dumped into the ocean, as fermented barley extract for food products, conversion into livestock feed and fertilizer, and conversion into biogas through methane fermentation.
These efforts went beyond mere regulatory compliance and contributed to the revitalization of local agriculture and related industries. In cooperation with food and feed manufacturers, we have strengthened resource recycling and reused the resulting biogas as our own energy source. We achieved both a reduction in dependence on fossil fuels and a reduction in environmental impact at the same time. At the time, "zero emissions" through the reuse of food waste and manufacturing by-products was a symbol of corporate competitiveness, and this case attracted nationwide attention as an advanced model originating from a local area.
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