The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2024
Tokyo Marui sold 'biodegradable' BB pellets for years — the proof never existed
'Decomposes into water and CO₂' on packs, posters and the web since 2016. The CAA rejected Tokyo Marui's evidence: ¥13.53M surcharge on ¥451M of sales.
Tokyo Marui · 2024-02-22
What happened
Tokyo Marui, Japan's best-known airsoft maker, sold its 'Perfect Hit' BB pellets as green: 'Bio', 'biodegradable', 'composed of plant-derived (PLA) and mineral components — contains absolutely no petroleum-based raw materials', and 'decomposes into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms in soil or water after falling to the ground'. Posters showed the pellets crumbling away outdoors. The claim had run on posters since December 2016, on packaging since August 2019 and on the company website since February 2022.
Airsoft fields were the point: outdoor players bought 'Bio' pellets because they seemed to leave nothing behind. When the Consumer Affairs Agency demanded substantiation, Tokyo Marui submitted materials — and the agency judged that none of them showed reasonable grounds. The company had marketed biodegradability for years without sufficiently verifying it.
On 22 February 2024 the CAA issued a surcharge order covering the three years to December 2022: ¥7,110,000 on ¥237.2M of 0.2g pellet sales plus ¥6,420,000 on ¥214.2M of 0.25g — ¥13,530,000 in total, payable by 24 September 2024. Tokyo Marui apologised, dropped the bio claims, and rebranded the pellets as the 'Finest BB' series — same composition, new name.
Why it happened
- 'Biodegradable' was the selling point for outdoor airsoft — posters since 2016, packaging since 2019, the website since 2022.
- The evidence Tokyo Marui submitted did not show the pellets decompose as claimed; the CAA rejected it all.
- The surcharge still reached ¥451M of sales made while the claims ran, capped at three years.
The lesson
Green claims live or die on evidence: Tokyo Marui marketed 'biodegradable' BB pellets for six years, could not substantiate them, and paid ¥13.53M — then rebranded the same pellets.
Aftermath
The surcharge order of 22 February 2024 required payment of ¥13,530,000 by 24 September 2024. Tokyo Marui removed the biodegradability claims, relaunched the pellets as the 'Finest BB' series with unchanged composition, and strengthened internal verification of packaging and advertising.
Sources
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