AMITA CIRCULAR Launches "ZEROⅠ" in Himeji : A Smart Plant Powered by Information Compilation to Support Resource Circulation-The core hub supporting sustainability transformation across supply chains through AI and digital transformation-

AMITA CIRCULAR CORPORATION ("AMITA CIRCULAR") today began operating ZEROⅠ (ZERO ONE), a newly built Smart Plant at its Himeji Circular Materials Plant in Hyogo Prefecture. ZEROⅠ is the core hub of Circular Model 3.0, a business model designed to drive the transformation of entire supply chains.
By combining AMITA's proprietary information compilation capability--advanced through generative AI and other technologies--with resource-manufacturing capabilities powered by state-of-the-art equipment, ZEROⅠ creates value-added circular materials^*1 backed by sustainability data, accelerating the real-world implementation of Circular Model 3.0.
AMITA CIRCULAR also held an opening ceremony and facility tour the same day, with approximately 50 representatives from companies and organizations across the supply chain. The event offered an opportunity to deepen understanding of the role ZEROⅠ plays and of the importance of advancing resource circulation through cross-industry collaboration.

*1 Circular materials are resources recycled from waste and used as raw material.

< Smart Plant "ZEROⅠ" >

1. The social context driving the need for ZEROⅠ

Japan's manufacturing sector has long depended on sourcing resources from overseas. In recent years, however, securing a stable supply of the right resources at the right time has itself become difficult--owing to geopolitical risks such as export restrictions, a weak yen and surging resource prices, and the uneven distribution and depletion of resources. Businesses also face a rapidly shifting environment that includes the need to address Scope 3 emissions and labor shortages. Against this backdrop, there is strong demand for shared infrastructure that enables society as a whole to circulate resources and put them to optimal use.

2. AMITA's strengths

For more than 45 years, AMITA CIRCULAR has recycled a wide variety of industrial waste^*2 by drawing on diverse data--such as the composition and properties of waste and supply-and-demand trends--together with its expertise in resource circulation and a network of more than 300 recycling service providers. The core competency that makes this possible is AMITA's proprietary information compilation capability, which integrates and analyzes information to design optimal resource circulation. AMITA is now advancing these capabilities further through AI and digital transformation (DX) to bring Circular Model 3.0 into practice. ZEROⅠ, which has just begun operating, is the core hub of this effort.

*2 AMITA regards such materials not as mere waste but as above-ground resources to be recycled.

< Overview of Circular Model 3.0 >

3. Key features of ZEROⅠ

ZEROⅠ is a Smart Plant that combines AMITA's proprietary information compilation capability--enhanced with generative AI and other technologies--with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. By optimizing and automating the full recycling process based on data covering industrial waste, circular technologies, industrial structures, and sustainability indicators, ZEROⅠ creates value-added circular materials backed by sustainability data and establishes a system in which resources circulate across the entire supply chain.

Data platform and software powered by information compilation

• Automatic control system [in operation; some functions to be expanded in phases]
  Automating the full sequence of processes--from receiving through manufacturing, storage, and shipping--ensures consistent quality of circular materials. During production, AI analyzes the condition of raw materials from camera footage and automatically controls factors such as moisture content.
• Circular Chatbot [to be rolled out in phases through 2027]
  Drawing on AMITA's databases covering industrial waste, resources, technologies, and industrial structures, AI derives optimal recycling flows and development plans for new resources to inform proposals to customers. It also automatically generates optimal blending recipes that combine multiple types of industrial waste.
• Booking system for inbound and outbound shipments [to be rolled out in phases through 2027]
  Centrally managing information on industrial waste, transport status, and demand streamlines and optimizes the coordination work involved in inbound and outbound shipments.

< Control room for the automatic control system >

Manufacturing equipment that can handle even hard-to-process materials

• The storage area has been expanded to roughly five times its previous size, and equipment capable of handling high-moisture materials and hard solid materials has been introduced. This allows ZEROⅠ to accept industrial waste that was previously difficult to process and to carry out customized production across a wide range of product types tailored to customer needs.

< Raw material and product storage yard >

4. The changes ZEROⅠ will bring

With ZEROⅠ in operation, information on industrial waste and on supply and demand is linked with resource-manufacturing functions, making it possible to design resource circulation with the entire supply chain in view.
As a result, corporate customers of circular materials can select those materials based not only on price but also on sustainability data such as supply stability, recycled-material ratio, GHG emissions, and impact on nature positivity--transforming procurement from simply "buying" into "strategic sourcing." For business operators, industrial waste that was once difficult to process becomes easier to use as a resource. Beyond cutting costs and enabling recycling, this also helps create nonfinancial value, such as reducing CO₂ emissions and contributing to nature positivity.
By optimally connecting information and resources, AMITA aims to evolve resource circulation from a "system for processing waste" into infrastructure through which society as a whole circulates resources and puts them to optimal use.

5. Opening ceremony and facility tour

To mark the start of ZEROⅠ's operations, AMITA CIRCULAR held an opening ceremony and facility tour. On the day, approximately 50 representatives from across the supply chain--including industrial waste generators, corporate customers of circular materials, and related organizations--toured manufacturing lines and equipment that are not normally open to visitors.
Attendees shared comments such as "We look forward to the new value that will emerge through ZEROⅠ" and "Our entire team takes great pride in being part of a project that supports plant automation, enhanced safety, and unmanned operations." The event heightened expectations for a new form of resource circulation originating from ZEROⅠ.

< Opening ceremony >

6. The path ahead and the society AMITA envisions

The launch of ZEROⅠ is not a goal in itself but a starting point for transforming the very nature of industry. Going forward, AMITA CIRCULAR will roll out the Circular Chatbot, the booking system for inbound and outbound shipments, and the automatic control system in phases through 2027, achieving fully automated, unmanned manufacturing processes. Building on this foundation, the company will develop a system that connects procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and recycling into a single flow--reaching beyond any one company or industry.
The ultimate vision is the realization of the "Ecosystem Society" championed by the AMITA Group--one in which people, nature, tangibles, and information are organically connected and circulate without waste. Starting from ZEROⅠ, the Group will work with diverse stakeholders to expand the shared infrastructure for resource circulation, contributing to sustainable manufacturing and a sustainable society.

▶ For details on the equipment and functions, and on the types of industrial waste that can be accepted, please see the dedicated webpage.
A concept movie illustrating AMITA's vision for resource circulation is also available.

　[Dedicated webpage] https://www.amita-net.co.jp/business/zero-1/(JP)
　[Concept movie] https://vimeo.com/1207558018(JP)

7. Click the links below to see AMITA HOLDINGS press releases on related topics

2025.03.06
AMITA HOLDINGS to Build State-of-the-Art Plant for Circular Materials in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture : Fully automated manufacturing to deliver value-added products and services

For media inquiries regarding this announcement, please contact:

AMITA CIRCULAR CORPORATION
Public Relations Team
Kotori Kamada / Mayumi Fukuda
Email：press@amita-net.co.jp