The nation's biggest printing company is funding a startup that makes paper out of rock, in a bid to diversify into new materials and as environmental concerns push companies to seek more sustainable products.
Toppan Printing Co., the nation's largest by sales, will form an alliance with TBM Co. that could see posters, catalogs and stickers manufactured out of limestone, a plentiful material in otherwise resources-scarce Japan. Their ambition is to create a business with revenue of ¥50 billion ($444 million) by the end of the decade, according to a release from the two Tokyo-based companies on Friday.
Toppan will pay a royalty of up to ¥1.5 billion for access to TBM's Limex technology and the partners will discuss license fees on future products, the companies said.