Materials Recovery Partnership Initiative

Time started

Start of initiatives: 2017

Technology and business model

The concept of "resource complexes" seeks to take advantage of the fact that different materials industries have different preference materials (materials needed for products) and repellents (materials that are unnecessary or cause problems in products and processes), and to work toward the mutual exchange of preference materials and repellents among materials industries. For example, heavy metals and other metals are not required in the cement manufacturing process, but nonferrous smelting and other processes use heavy metals and other metals for products.

Through the initiatives, the corporation is now moving away from the conventional concept of "individual optimization," in which each materials company selects technologies and operating conditions that are appropriate for its capital investment and operating costs, to "total optimization," in which the selection of technologies and operating conditions is reviewed to the extent that they do not worsen the profitability of each company, in order to raise the level of resource recycling.

Specifically, our lithium-ion battery recycling technology and low-temperature heating and embrittlement technology recover metal resources that are not specifically needed in the cement manufacturing process, and we are collaborating with non-ferrous smelting and other materials industries to improve resource recovery compared to the past.

Achievements and goals

A consortium was formed in 2017 and has been active since then.

In March 2021, the consortium members launched the Circular Economy Association and began expanding its activities.

Reference URL

Circular Economy Association

https://www.ce-association.org/