Bandai Namco revealed a giant life-sized Gundam head to celebrate the end of their Gunpla Recycling Project last weekend.

The art piece is a six-foot-tall 1:1 scale replica of a Gundam head and is made from around 3000 runners, which are the plastic frames that house the various parts found in Gunpla Kits. Most runners are discarded once a kit is put together, but the project aimed to find a better, more creative use for them.

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The Gunpla Recycling Project is a joint venture between Bandai Namco Holdings, Bandai Spirits, Bandai Amusement, and Bandai Logipal, and launched in April 2021 with the goal of reducing waste by allowing Gundam fans the opportunity to recycle the leftover plastics in their kits. By utilizing chemical recycling technology, the group hopes to repurpose old Gunpla.

Roughly 190 Bandai Namco-associated facilities installed a recycling box on their premises when the project kicked off in April. Fans can deposit their used kits which are then sent to the Bandai Hobby Center in Shizuoka. The facility is expected to handle 10 tons of recycled plastic every year.

The Gundam Base Tokyo started distributing “EcoPla” model kits alongside other locations starting from October 20th. The kits are made out of recycled materials and were given together with information booklets to raise public awareness on recycling.

With this, Bandai Namco Group hopes to reduce their carbon emissions by 35% by 2030, aiming for zero emissions by 2050. Their goal will be to incorporate sustainable technologies and energy-saving methods throughout the various Bandai Namco amusement facilities, factories, offices, and other related sectors.

The group’s Gundam Universal Century Development Action sustainability project launched in June, with the intent of tackling pollution by developing new ideas and technologies. The Gundam Factory Yokohama is powered by the city’s Hama Wing wind power plant and has been since May. It currently generates no carbon emissions from electricity.

While the Gundam head served as the headliner, the exhibit it was unveiled at featured a number of other pieces made using recycled kits, including a teahouse by artist Yо̄ichi Ochiai and a virtual experience crafted by NAKED Inc. founder Ryotaro Muramatsu.

Source: AnimeNewsNetwork

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