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"Turning Tokyo into an oil field" — president Yumi Someya of U's Corporation has been working to protect the environment with this resolution. We spoke to her about her past efforts and hopes for the future.
Wealth of recyclable oil in Tokyo kitchens
In 1991, Someya joined her family business, Someya Shoten, which collected old cooking oil used to make dishes like tempura, refined it and sold it for industrial use. The reason she decided to join came from an experience she had traveling around Asia after graduating from high school.
"When I crossed the border from Tibet to Nepal, I had a narrow escape from a landslide. The locals said it was a man-made disaster, not a natural one." The ground in the area had become loose due to deforestation resulting from urban development, leading to the landslide. After this experience, her interest in the environment grew, and she joined Someya Shoten.
Most of the used cooking oil from households is disposed of by solidifying it or by absorbing it with paper or cloth but, if used effectively, it can reduce waste and contribute to recycling. "Seeing all the used cooking oil being collected, I thought Tokyo is basically an oil field." Then she had an idea: increasing the recovery rate of used cooking oil could further reduce its impact on the environment.
In 1993, she succeeded in developing the world's first biodiesel fuel (BDF) made from used cooking oil, which has virtually no sulfur oxide emissions, reducing air pollution. It can be used as a fuel for diesel vehicles, and she started to use it to run her collection trucks.
In 1997, she established U's Corporation and 10 years later launched Tokyo Yuden 2017, yuden meaning oil field. It is a project that aims to collect and recycle all the used cooking oil in Tokyo. The company started to promote a shift to a recycling-based society, such as providing BDF-generated electricity to music festivals and environmental events.
Locally produced energy plan scrapped
However, a legislative change in 2009 imposed restrictions on the use of BDF as a vehicle fuel. In 2016, Someya established Tokyo Yu Denryoku, which developed a generator that runs on used cooking oil and began selling electricity. "We aimed to provide electricity that's locally produced and locally consumed by generating it from oil used in Tokyo."
The business grew steadily, but the price of used cooking oil soared due to energy prices rising in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the company had to stop selling electricity. "The truth is, I felt powerless despite all the efforts I had made to get to where I was. That said, people are still going to produce used cooking oil, so there's still an opportunity. That's why I focused on collecting used cooking oil."
Tempura oil fueling airplanes?
Over the past few years, there has been a new growing demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from bio feedstocks including used cooking oil. SAF is a clean fuel that has significantly fewer carbon emissions than petroleum-based jet fuel. Countries such as Norway mandate the use of aviation fuel mixed with SAF.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government also launched a project to promote the commercialization of biofuel. It supports ANA Holdings Inc. using SAF to operate flights between Haneda Airport and Hachijojima, a Pacific island that is part of Tokyo Metropolis.
Carried by this momentum, Someya started to export the collected used cooking oil to Singapore, which has SAF manufacturing plants. Japan is also aiming to produce SAF domestically, which would further boost the recycling of used cooking oil.
"We have had many twists and turns, but I want to see Tokyo become an oil field. Environmental issues cannot be avoided, and social awareness has changed dramatically from 30 years ago when I declared that I would start an environmental business. We are now in an age where businesses cannot be viable without considering the environment. I believe that Tokyo's oil field won't dry up as long as there are people around."
The Tokyo oil field project is changing, but it keeps going strong.
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