Last week, Panasonic and Mitsubishi Materials provided an update on a joint effort more than ten years in the making to operate and expand a product-material-product (PMP) loop. Since 2011, the collaboration has strived to reuse gold, silver, and copper recovered from waste circuit boards, primarily from old Panasonic home appliances. So far, it has been a smashing success.
According to the companies, the PMP loop is the industry's first to achieve consistent resource recycling. As of December 2024, the partners have recovered 1.1 tons of gold, 33 tons of silver, and 8,100 tons of copper.
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First, Panasonic ET Solutions, a Panasonic subsidiary, removes iron and aluminum from the boards and sells the materials—they're unwanted for crushing and smelting, anyway. The waste circuit board processing is outsourced to partner companies that process materials collected from home appliance recycling plants and repair sites across Japan. The boards are then delivered to Mitsubishi Materials.
Mitsubishi Materials extracts gold, silver, and copper from the refined waste printed circuit boards through smelting and returns the metal materials to Panasonic ET. The recovered gold, silver, and copper are turned into gold plating solutions, copper wires, and other materials the Panasonic Group uses for manufacturing.
By using the copper recovered by the loop instead of smelting copper ores, Panasonic says it has reduced some 33,000 tons of CO2.
The effort comes amidst global measures to use metal resources more efficiently and protect the environment. According to Panasonic, recycling-oriented manufacturing is critical, especially in Japan, where the self-sufficiency rate of natural resources is low.
Japan is working towards a more sustainable recycling-oriented society, which includes plans to double the processed amount of metal recycling raw materials by 2031.
Now, Mitsubishi and Panasonic are working to expand end-to-end resource recycling management. Panasonic hopes to find additional partners to make new loops, or circular economies, for other materials.
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Last week, Panasonic and Mitsubishi Materials
provided an update on a joint effort more than
00:06.039 --> 00:12.640
10 years in the making to operate and expand a
product material product or PMP loop.
00:13.010 --> 00:17.079
Since 2011, the collaboration has strived to
reuse gold,
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silver and copper recovered from waste circuit
boards, primarily from old Panasonic home
00:23.530 --> 00:24.639
appliances.
00:24.889 --> 00:29.129
So far, It's been a smashing success.
According to the companies,
00:29.379 --> 00:34.220
the PMP loop is the industry's first to achieve
consistent resource recycling.
00:34.740 --> 00:40.169
As of December 2024, the partners have
recovered 1.1 tons of gold,
00:40.380 --> 00:44.729
33 tons of silver, and 8100 tons of copper.
00:45.299 --> 00:51.580
First, Panasonic ET Solutions, a Panasonic
subsidiary, removes iron and aluminum from the
00:51.580 --> 00:56.419
boards and sells the materials.
They're unwanted for crushing and smelting
00:56.419 --> 00:57.500
anyway.
The waste circuit.
00:57.645 --> 01:02.395
Board processing is outsourced to partner
companies that process materials collected from
01:02.395 --> 01:06.644
home appliance recycling plants and repair
sites across Japan.
01:06.955 --> 01:10.425
The boards are then delivered to Mitsubishi
Materials.
01:10.584 --> 01:15.834
Mitsubishi Materials extracts gold, silver and
copper from the refined waste printed circuit
01:15.834 --> 01:20.595
boards through smelting and returns the metal
materials to Panasonic ET.
01:20.949 --> 01:24.959
The recovered gold, silver and copper are
turned into gold plating solutions,
01:25.129 --> 01:29.639
copper wires, and other materials the Panasonic
Group uses for manufacturing.
01:29.849 --> 01:34.400
Just by using the copper recovered by the loop
instead of smelting copper ores,
01:34.730 --> 01:39.319
Panasonic says it has reduced some 33,000 tons
of CO2.
01:39.529 --> 01:43.139
The effort comes amidst global.
Measures to use metal resources more
01:43.139 --> 01:45.419
efficiently and protect the environment.
01:45.709 --> 01:49.379
According to Panasonic, recycling oriented
manufacturing is critical,
01:49.669 --> 01:54.940
especially in Japan, where the self-sufficiency
rate of natural resources is low.
01:55.190 --> 01:59.260
Japan is working towards a more sustainable
recycling oriented society,
01:59.430 --> 02:03.459
which includes plans to double.
The processed amount of metal recycling raw
02:03.459 --> 02:05.279
materials by 2031.
02:05.529 --> 02:10.839
Now Mitsubishi and Panasonic are working to
expand end to end resource recycling management.
02:11.169 --> 02:17.089
Panasonic hopes to find additional partners to
make new loops or circular economies for other
02:17.089 --> 02:19.160
materials.
I'm David Manti.
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This is manufacturing now.