Kashima Antlers is pleased to announce the creation and distribution of "Anton Note," an original recycled notebook made from used paper cups, to elementary and junior high schools in Kashima City. This initiative is part of a collaborative "resource recycling promotion" project with Kashima City and Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.
This project is part of a concrete effort toward the social implementation of a resource recycling model, based on a comprehensive partnership agreement signed by the three parties in August 2023. While the recycling rates for aluminum cans and cardboard are high, the recycling rate for paper cups in Japan is currently less than 1%, posing a significant societal challenge. This initiative aims to address this issue by transforming paper cups into valuable resources through the power of sports and the local community, and returning them to the children who will lead the next generation in the form of "notebooks." Used paper cups, which serve as the raw material, are collected at home games held at Mercari Stadium, elementary and junior high schools in Kashima City, and at the Kashima Festival, with the goal of raising awareness and encouraging behavioral change in resource recycling.
Features of the original recycled notebook "Anton Note"
■Cover Design (Front)
The design features Anton, the club's "Sustainability Match Ambassador" mascot character, prominently in the center, and uses the club colors of red and navy. It is a friendly design that children will want to use every day. The bottom of the cover clearly states, "The covers use paper cups collected from elementary and junior high schools in Kashima City, Mercari Stadium, and the Kashima Festival 2025." This design allows users to enjoy and feel that their actions are connected to this notebook in their daily lives.
■Approach to Environmental Education (Back)
The back cover features the message, "The paper cups you collected have been reborn!" along with an easy-to-understand diagram illustrating the cycle from used paper cups being washed (using Re-CUP WASHER, etc.) to becoming resources and being reborn as new products. Additionally, a list of elementary and junior high schools in Kashima City that cooperated in the collection is provided. This gives the notebook an educational aspect, allowing children to deepen their understanding of environmental issues while feeling pride and enjoyment in participating in this recycling loop.
Progress toward collection activities and productization, leveraging the strengths of the three parties
Based on the comprehensive partnership agreement signed by the three parties, local government, professional sports clubs, and corporations have engaged in integrated activities, leveraging their respective roles and strengths, to complete the recycled notebook "Anton Note."
■ [Kashima City] Providing a collection base and promoting sorting, starting with schools and local events
From September to November 2025, the city implemented a project to collect paper cups used during school lunches and other occasions at elementary and junior high schools. Furthermore, the city led a collection experiment at the Kashima Festival 2025 venue on Saturday, October 25, 2025, utilizing its administrative strengths to establish a foundation for collecting paper resources widely from the entire community.
■ [Kashima Antlers] Collection activities with supporters, starting at the stadium
On home game days at Mercari Stadium, to eliminate "food residues," the biggest barrier to paper cup recycling, we promoted visitor-participatory washing and collection using a dedicated washing machine, "Re-CUP WASHER." Together with our supporters, we provided a venue for resource recycling starting at the stadium.
■ [Toyo Seikan Group] Building a re-productization scheme for collected resources
The Toyo Seikan Group conducted outreach classes at elementary schools in Kashima City and set up booths at Mercari Stadium and the Kashima Festival to collect paper cups and containers. Utilizing its knowledge and experience in container manufacturing, the group established a paper cup recycling scheme. To realize the "Anton Note" original recycled notebook, they established a re-productization route, designed the notebooks, and handled distribution to schools. This allowed for tangible returns to container users who participated in the recycling effort.
This recycled notebook was completed using paper cups and containers collected with the cooperation of local residents, supporters, and fans.
Future Outlook
The recycled notebooks produced will be distributed to all elementary and junior high schools in Kashima City and utilized as novelties in various settings to promote community returns and visualize resource recycling. Through this project, Antlers aims to create an environmentally friendly city where citizens and supporters can concretely envision the significance of resource recycling and the future of the city it brings, enjoying and connecting it to their daily behavioral changes. The three parties will continue to deepen their collaboration and contribute to building a sustainable local community.