Starting in October, Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc. (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; president: Hiroshi Yoshida) and Green Innovation Inc. (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; president: Izumi Hara) will begin the joint research and development of technologies to artificially cultivate the medicinal plant Chinese licorice (glycyrrhiza uralensis).

Medicinal plants (herbs), and especially plants like Chinese licorice, Chinese peony, saffron, and cinnamon are used widely for their medicinal benefits in traditional Chinese medicine, health foods and other foods, cosmetics, and other products. Meanwhile, the overharvesting of Chinese licorice and other medicinal herbs in their native countries has become an issue, and there are movements to regulate the harvest of these plants in order to protect medicinal-plant resources. This in turn has made it extremely challenging for consumer countries to ensure a stable supply of these plants. This is particularly true of Chinese licorice, which is used in about 70% of all traditional Chinese-medicine formulations. Nearly all Chinese licorice is grown wild, and Japan imports the great majority of the Chinese licorice that it consumes from other countries. Although there is therefore an urgent need to cultivate this plant in Japan, the artificial cultivation of Chinese licorice in this country has been considered unfeasible due to a number of factors, such as different climates in Japan and the plant's native habitat, and lack of established cultivation techniques.

Worldwide demand for Chinese licorice is also growing rapidly. In addition to strong demand for it in Western countries, economic growth is also pushing up demand at fast pace in China, which is also the principle producer of the plant. The supply is tightening rapidly, and it is possible that it could become a source of international conflict, as is the case with rare earths and rare metals today. Indeed, Chinese licorice could be called a "rare plant." Since December 2010, MPI and Green Innovation have been conducting a preliminary study for the stable supply of Chinese licorice. Based on the results of this study, the two companies will start a two-year joint research and development project in October 2011. MKV Dream Co., Ltd. and other members of the MPI Group have advanced cultivation technologies and the ability to develop a wide range of agricultural equipment and materials. The companies aim to leverage the synergy of combining these capabilities with Green Innovation's knowledge of the herbal industry, human network, seed procurement capabilities, and various other strengths to speed development and quickly establish cultivation techniques. In addition to creating a stable supply of Chinese licorice through the establishment of cultivation techniques, the companies also plan to start considering the commercial production of other medicinal herbs as well.

MPI is expanding its business by reforming its agricultural-materials business model, and actively developing new products. In addition to such agricultural products and materials as film for farm greenhouses, MPI has also entered the solar-powered "plant factory" business through the acquisition of a hydroponics company, and has launched sales of biodegradable films. The current R&D partnership is a part of these initiatives. MPI also believes that this initiative could contribute greatly to the realization of the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings vision of "KAITEKI" (sustainability, health, and comfort).

 

Photo: Chinese licorice (glycyrrhiza uralensis)

Reference: About Green Innovation, Inc.

Head office	2-6-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
President	Izumi Hara
Paid-in capital	68 million yen
Main business	Medicinal plants

 

 

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