To commemorate the 45th anniversary of Gundam plastic models (plastic models) from the popular anime series Gundam, the first Gundam plastic models made from chemically recycled resin will be put to practical use. The used runners (frames for plastic models) collected by Bandai Spirits will be reused. Bandai Spirits and PS Japan have been researching chemical recycling using used runners since 2021, and have now commercialized the first mass-produced plastic models made from chemically recycled materials. Bandai Spirits has previously developed Gundam plastic models made from recycled materials, but the mass-produced models announced this time are said to be of quality comparable to regular Gundam plastic models.
Gunpla has a history of evolution since the release of the "1/144 Gundam" in July 1980. The "EXPO2025 1/144 RX-78F00/E Gundam (EX-001 Glass Feather Equipped) Chemical Recycle Ver." will be released on April 11th as a Gunpla model that utilizes chemical recycling. The RX-78F00/E Expo 2025 at the 2025 World Expo, Japan (Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan), will be made into a three-dimensional model.
It will be sold at a limited-time store opening in the Daimaru Umeda store (Kita-ku, Osaka). 3,960 yen. The product is on display at the "GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE -FINAL-" event being held at the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Triangle Plaza (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo). The event will run until February 24th.
Chemical recycling is a recycling method in which used plastic is chemically broken down and returned to chemical raw materials for reuse. It is said that it is possible to produce high-quality recycled plastic equivalent to new plastic from used plastic. PS Japan chemically recycled the used runners collected by Bandai Spirits along with other used polystyrene. Bandai Spirits purchases them as raw materials for plastic models and uses them in production. Chemically recycled plastic accounts for 44% of the weight of each product.
The Bandai Namco Group launched the "Gunpla Recycle Project" in 2021. It has been recycling used Gunpla runners that it has collected as a resource. A total of about 105 tons have been collected between April 2021 and January 2025. According to Bandai Spirits, "We will continue to work on the Gunpla Recycle Project with the aim of contributing to the creation of a circular society together with our fans." It is expected to promote "sustainable manufacturing" in the future.
