Panasonic establishes first recycling facility in Chinese market

China/Japan – A consortium of prominent companies in the Far East are to establish an advanced electronics recycling firm based at Tonglu, in China’s Zhejiang Province.

Electronics manufacturer Panasonic is teaming up with two Japanese companies, recycler Dowa and secondary material producer Sumitomo, and Chinese e-waste collector Hangzhou DADI. Panasonic will be the first Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer to enter the Chinese recycling market.

Panasonic Hangzhou DADI is expected to begin commercial operations in spring 2012. The joint venture will collect and disassemble used home appliances and electronics and sell recovered materials. It aims to be a model company for China thanks to advanced recycling technologies.

The Chinese government enacted an ordinance on the collection, processing and management of waste electrical and electronic products on January 1, with the aim of promoting proper and safe disposal of waste home appliances. The ordinance applies to TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and personal computers.

E-waste has been on increase in China, as its economic growth has led consumers to acquire and upgrade electronic products. In Zhejiang, with a population of 50 million, approximately 2.9 million units of discarded home appliances were collected in 12 months in 2009 -10, and volumes are expected to increase further.

Panasonic Hangzhou DADI will sell recovered material to refiners, plastics recyclers and manufacturers.