Global Initiatives for Used Product Recycling
Global Initiatives for Used Product Recycling
For the purpose of efficient use of natural resources and prevention of environmental pollution, many countries around the world have been enacting recycling laws and developing their recycling systems. Examples include: the Law for Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances (Home Appliance Recycling Law) and the Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources in Japan, the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive in the European Union, and recycling-related laws in many states in the United States as well as in China. In addition to complying with the Basel Convention which controls the transfer of hazardous waste to non-OECD countries as well as with related laws in respective countries, the Panasonic Group strives to establish the most efficient recycling system in each country that is in line with its local recycling infrastructure, including the utilization of third parties.
Product recycling results in fiscal 2023 are as shown below. As for the situation outside Japan, with the decrease in the volume of collection and recycling due to recent reforms of business areas in various countries, the weight of collected products is on a flat or downward trend.
FY2024 Results
Product Recycling Initiatives in Japan
In response to the Home Appliance Recycling Law of 2001, which covers four specified kinds of home appliances*1, manufacturers were grouped into two groups, Group A and Group B, to collect and recycle the four specified kinds of used home appliances. We belong to Group A, and to work on recycling, we have established Ecology Net Co., Ltd. jointly with Toshiba Corporation to operate and manage a geographically dispersed recycling network through the effective use of existing recycling facilities nationwide. This management company supervises 319 designated collection sites (shared by Group A and Group B) and 30 recycling plants, based on consignment from Group A manufacturers (18 companies including the Panasonic Group).
Additionally, we invest in Panasonic Eco Technology Center Co., Ltd. (PETEC), Panasonic Eco Technology Kanto Co., Ltd. (PETECK), and Chubu Eco Technology Co., Ltd. (CETEC)*2 and exchange information with product manufacturing divisions to develop easy-to-recycle designs, as well as conducts research and development to efficiently recover and supply more resources. In fiscal 2024, we recycled approx. 145.3. kt of the four specified used home appliances.
Although the statutory recycling rate*3 is being raised in phases, our recycling plants have been achieving recycling rates higher than the legal requirement by reviewing and improving recycling equipment and processes in view of the characteristics and materials of respective products as well as higher recycling efficiency.
To address the challenges facing the home appliance recycling industry, our group has begun to develop technologies to mechanize dismantling operations that require much manual labor.
We have developed the Automatic Dismantling System for Dismantled Home Appliances, focusing on air conditioner outdoor units, which are expected to increase in the amount collected.
While maintaining the quality of disassembly for each part, the process from the cover of the outdoor unit to the removal of the compressor, which takes the most time in the disassembly process, is automated. To automate the process from the cover of an outdoor unit to the removal of a compressor. This enables more stable and continuous recycling of home appliances.
As for PETEC, it promotes high grade single-plastic recycling using plastic recognition equipment.
See Enhanced Use of Recycled Resin for more details.
*1 Air conditioners, TVs, refrigerators/freezers, and washing machines/clothes dryers.
*2 PETEC is a company fully invested by the Panasonic Group, and PETECK and CETEC are joint ventures between Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and the Panasonic Group.
*3 Statutory recycling rate = Recycling rate specified by law (Valuable resource weight/Total weight of used home appliances).
The statutory recycling rates were raised in 2009 and 2015, and are currently at least: 80% for air conditioners, 55% for CRT TVs, 74% for LCD, Organic EL and plasma TVs, 70% for refrigerators and freezers, and 82% for washing machines and clothes dryers.
Efforts in the Europe / CIS Region
WEEE Directive and Circular Economy
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
The WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU is a piece of European Union legislation aimed at reducing the environmental impact of electrical and electronic waste. It promotes the reuse, recycling, and recovery of such waste and places responsibility for disposal on producers. Panasonic has proactively developed solutions to all these requirements. Panasonic has a very diverse product range in Europe. To manage our WEEE compliance across the EU, it has been our policy to register directly with appropriate recycling schemes in countries where we have legal company presence.
Circular Economy
Circular Economy is the key driving factor for future waste legislations in Europe.
Recycled content becomes increasingly important in Europe and will be more and more included into national laws and tender processes. If products don’t meet certain Circular Economy criteria, the recycling fees will increase. If products are easy to recycle, contain recycled material, easy to repair, etc., the recycling fees will decrease. Panasonic is considering how to prepare our business for such new recycled material requirements.
European Climate Goals
Europe's Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan have also placed immense pressure on companies to reduce waste, lower emissions, and use resources more efficiently.
For Panasonic, this isn't just a compliance issue - it is an opportunity.
Looking Ahead
Panasonic's journey into the circular economy has proven that a multinational company can adapt to an age where sustainability isn't a side goal but a central strategy.
With evolving EU legislation, including mandatory recycled content targets and right-to-repair laws, Panasonic is poised to expand its circular practices even further.
Efforts in North America
The Panasonic Group continues its leadership role in establishing and operating a recycling system for waste batteries and consumer electronic products in North America. Following the startup of a state recycling law in Minnesota in July 2007, we established the Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, LLC (MRM), jointly with Toshiba Corporation and Sharp Corporation in September of the same year, and began recycling TVs, PCs, and other electronic equipment.
With collaborative ties to several recycling companies, MRM operates collection programs on behalf of numerous companies across 20 states and the District of Columbia. The cumulative total of collection by MRM has exceeded 1.7 billion lbs. (approximately 771 kt) since its inception in 2007.
As for waste batteries, we established Call2Recycle in 1994 jointly with other battery manufacturers, and now provide recycling programs for rechargeable batteries throughout the US and Canada. Call2Recycle provides collection program and a robust retail collection network for over 400 companies, and collected more than 260 M pounds (118 kt) of primary and rechargeable batteries in the US and Canada since the organization's inception.
Recycling end-of-life products in Canada started in 2004 with the Alberta Government Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulation. Since then a total of ten provinces and two territories have legislated WEEE, each with their own unique parameters and requirements. In an effort to harmonize these programs, Panasonic Canada takes an active role in the governance of the Electronic Product Recycling Association, a not-for-profit management organization. EPRA collected 0.137 kt's of electronics in Ontario.
Efforts in China
In China, the collection of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Treatment Fund—originally established under the Regulations on the Administration of the Recycling and Disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products, which had been in place since 2012—was officially suspended as of January 1, 2024. Moving forward, subsidies for waste appliance treatment providers will be financed through the national general public budget, primarily funded by tax revenues.
In response to this shift, we are actively monitoring and considering appropriate measures in light of several related policy developments. These include the government's Promotion Plan for the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) System, announced in January 2017, and the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste, which came into effect in September 2020. Additionally, since 2022, a pilot program known as the Target Responsibility System for Waste Appliance Collection has been underway, involving six major local home appliance manufacturers. More recently, the government launched the Old-for-New policy for consumer goods in 2024, further signaling a shift in the regulatory landscape. These developments are being closely examined as we evaluate our future approach.
Efforts in Southeast Asia and Oceania
Vietnam
The Law on Environmental Protection 2020 sets out requirements for a wide range of environmental issues, including the enhancement of e-waste management in Vietnam. The Government has also issued "Decree 08/2022 Detailing a Number of Articles of the Law on Environmental Protection" and "Circular 02/2022/QD-TTg Detailing the Implementation of a Number of Articles of the Law on Environmental Protection," which took effect since January 10, 2022 and requires producers/ importers to contribute financially for waste treatment of primary batteries from January 1, 2022. Panasonic Sales Vietnam (PSV) has actively engaged in compliance efforts since, including timely financial contributions to support waste treatment for primary batteries and operational adjustments to meet evolving environmental regulations.
On January 06, 2025, the Government issued "Decree No. 05/2025/NĐ-CP," which further details and supplements provisions related to extended producer responsibility (EPR) under the Law on Environmental Protection. This Decree expands requirements for producers and importers to contribute financially or self-manage e-waste recycling for rechargeable batteries and other electronic products. The recycling cost norm (Fs) for a unit weight of in-scope product or packaging has also been released under "Circular No. 07/2025/TT-BTNMT," which took effect since February 28, 2025.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, PSV successfully collected a cumulative total of over 13,100 kg of e-waste, which was sent to licensed vendors for recycling and treatment. This achievement reflects PSV's ongoing commitment to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and to promote sustainable practices in electronic product lifecycle management.
PSV has also taken action to submit the necessary product import and financial contribution declarations to the Vietnamese government as required under "Decree No. 05/2025/NĐ-CP".
PSV will continue to work closely with the government to support the implementation of an effective waste treatment and e-waste recycling scheme in Vietnam.
Australia
The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) was established in Australia in 2011. Effective since 1 July 2021, the NTCRS has been superseded by the Recycling and Waste Reduction (Product Stewardship –Televisions and Computers) Rules 2021 made under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, which will provide a new legislative framework to manage waste, recycling and product stewardship. Currently, the national framework covers televisions and computers, including printers, computer parts and peripherals.
Panasonic Australia (PAU) partnered with E-cycle Solutions, a co-regulatory arrangement approved by the Australian government to fulfill its obligation under the national scheme, since May 2021. Between January 2024 and December 2024, 20 tons of e-waste were recycled.
Since April 2021, PAU has also joined the Battery Stewardship Council (BSC) as a full member.
As part of the obligations as a member, PAU has also been contributing to recycling costs for batteries imported, including 68 tons of batteries imported between January to December 2024.
Singapore
The Resource Sustainability Act introduced in Singapore in 2020 requires producers of regulated consumer products to join the licensed Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS), which started in July 2021. For Compliance Year 4 (July 2024 - June 2025), a Collection Target of 60% (of weight supplied) was set for regulated Large Household Appliances (LHAs) and 20% for Portable Batteries. Panasonic Singapore has been working closely with the authorities and PRS operator to ensure the smooth implementation of the PRS. A total of 8,416 tons of regulated e-waste were collected by the PRS operator, of which LHAs comprised of a total of 90% by weight between January to December 2024.
Other Countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania
Regulators in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and New Zealand are also gearing towards the global trend of mandating end-of-life product recycling. Discussions with regulators and industry bodies are in progress. We hope to contribute to the formulation of sustainable e-waste management policy in each country through engagement with local governments and industry associations and participation in pilot recycling projects.
Efforts in India
In India, the updated e-waste recycling law has been implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) from the 1st of April 2023, with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) targets based on end-of-life (EoL) and the metal extraction post recycling of the respective e-waste.
The updated amended rules were introduced with an intent to focus and enhance recycling capabilities.
Further amendments to the e-waste (Management) rules 2023 defined the percentage of metals to be extracted from the collected e-waste in Metric ton and the compliance requirement needs the mentioned key metals like Mild steel, Copper, Aluminum and Gold to be extracted, post recycling of e-waste as per the percentage defined.
Further the Extended Producer Responsibility laws with respect to Plastic waste and Battery waste are also having clauses to ensure recyclable content being there as per the percentage defined and increasing Year on Year.
Panasonic India has two robust initiatives to ensure customer connect for e-waste and consumer awareness in compliance with the e-waste law.
•The "I Recycle" program already established by Panasonic India (PI), helps pass on the information to the existing customers who approach Panasonic Service centre for servicing requirement.
•The Panasonic Harit Umang program has been sensitizing the youth from past six years, engaging them on responsible and safe disposal of e- waste, plastic and battery waste to ensure and enable scientific recycling for the future circular economy and making a GREEN IMPACT
Panasonic India also chairs the Sustainability and environment committee at the Industry association "Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA)", where we undertake activities of analysis of current recycling activities in India as well as a longterm plan for waste problem solutions.
We are also actively engaged in different active associations including the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to establish an even more efficient and robust recycling system and to submit industry comments to the Indian government for a better governance system.
Efforts in Latin America
In response to a growing trend in stricter environmental laws in Latin American countries, discussions on the establishment of recycling laws and actual enforcement are being conducted.
In Brazil, a sectoral agreement on home appliances was concluded in October 2019, and a Federal Decree specifying a system to collect and recycle household electrical and electronic equipment was enforced in January 2021. As one of the main members of a waste home appliance management body (ABREE), Panasonic collaborated in the establishment of a reverse logistics system (a system to collect used products), and promotes efficient collection and treatment of used products.
The target for 2023 was reached by collecting and treating 46.8 tons which represents 100% of tonnage goal in accordance with sectorial agreement. In 2024, the target was 90.5 tons, and it was fully accomplished by the ABREE association. For 2025, the target is 17% of the tons placed on the market. As of April 2025, 20.02k tons have been collected and treated, which represents 27% of achievement so far.
Other Countries in Latin America
Countries such as Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are moving toward global standards for e-waste management. Peru and Colombia have enacted detailed WEEE laws, while others like Chile are still developing regulations.
Industry-led programs and government-approved recycling plans are active in Mexico and Colombia. Costa Rica stands out with diverse initiatives public campaigns, urban mining, and circular economy projects promoting responsible e-waste handling.
We continue to support policy development through collaboration with governments, industry groups, and pilot recycling efforts.
