Index
1. AI & Pokémon: Promoting Recycling Awareness
We want to inspire people to care about waste sorting and recycling while providing a fun way to keep our environment clean.
This desire led to the creation of the “Greedy Grimer Grand Plan. Employees from The Pokémon Company, Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd., and IBM Japan, Ltd. joined together and spent roughly one year conceptualizing and building the initiative.
At the heart of the plan is “Greedy Grimer,” a recycling bin that uses AI technology to identify and sort used beverage bottles and cans. We launched this project to help address the global concern of plastic waste in an entertaining way.
The process is interactive: A camera inside Greedy Grimer’s “mouth” scans inserted waste, IBM Japan’s “IBM Watson” AI instantly identifies the container type and sorts it according to its material: plastic bottle, glass bottle, or aluminum can. Greedy Grimer then responds with a different cry depending on the container type.
Additionally, the results of this sorting process are also collected and posted online. By helping users understand which items are recyclable, this system promotes proper sorting and recycling habits in a fun way.
2. A Three-Company Collaborative Project started at the Pokémon Workshop
The story of this unique project began in 2018. During a workshop organized to generate new ideas for promoting Pokémon, employees from IBM Japan proposed a plan for a Grimer that would use Internet of Things (IoT) and AI technology to clean up the city.
Then, in July 2019, the idea resonated with employees from Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd., who entered the concept into an internal hackathon hosted at Coca-Cola headquarters in the U.S. This led to the launch of the joint project by members of the three companies. We unveiled the first Greedy Grimer at the Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, in November 2020, and plans are in the works for further installations across Japan.
3. Tackling the Plastic Recycling Issue
Plastic Beverage containers, if properly collected, are reusable as a plastic resource. However, contamination from other materials remains a hurdle to effective recycling.
Many people mistakenly toss general trash into the recycling bins next to vending machines, often unaware that these bins are strictly for plastic bottles and cans. We currently face a lack of public understanding when it comes to the role these bins play and the overall importance of sorting.
We hope this project serves as a driver for solving these challenges and improving the current situation.