Marubeni : Strategic Partnership for Solar Panel Recycling

October 25, 2019

Marubeni Corporation

Marubeni Tetsugen Co., Ltd

Marubeni Metals Corporation

Tottori Resource Recycling, Inc.

Strategic Partnership for Solar Panel Recycling

Marubeni Corporation, Marubeni Tetsugen Co., Ltd, Marubeni Metals Corporation (hereinafter, "Marubeni Group"), and Tottori Resource Recycling, Inc. (hereinafter, "Tottori Resource Recycling") have entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement today, to jointly undertake a solar panel recycling business by utilizing the patented glass forming technology of Tottori Resource Recycling.

Aiming for the maximum 1.5 °C temperature increase target set by the Paris Agreement, governments have announced a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero (net zero) by 2050. The shift to renewable energy will continue to progress and solar power generation is also expected to increase significantly.

On the other hand, solar panel waste is estimated to grow 10 times in 10 years and 200 times in 20 years. Solar panels are dismantled and recycled for each part. However, tempered glass, which accounts for more than 70% of the panel weight, is difficult to recycle, and is currently disposed of in landfills. It has been pointed out that disposal of tempered glass will become a major social problem in terms of the environment. (*1)

Marubeni Group and Tottori Resource Recycling will collect solar panel and use tempered glass as raw materials, and manufacture formed porous glass material utilizing the patented technology of Tottori Resource Recycling. This glass foaming technology makes it possible to detoxify and immobilize harmful substances such as heavy metals contained in glass. The manufactured formed porous glass material enhances the soil by increasing the water retention capacity in the soil, and in the water, it improves the water quality by becoming a habitation for microbes that purify water.

Marubeni Group and Tottori Resource Recycling will transform the tempered glass, which is said to be difficult to recycle, into a valuable product that is friendly to the global environment. By reducing waste and improving the environment, we aim to provide diversified solutions to environmental issues in order to realize a sustainable society.

(*1) Related press release from Ministry of Environment (Japanese) https://www.env.go.jp/press/files/jp/110514.pdf

Solar Panel Recycling Flowchart
Solar Panel	Panel Dismantling	Glass
Glass Separation	Processing

Glass	Formed Porous Glass
Forming	Material

< Company Profile>
Company Name	Marubeni Corporation
Office	Tokyo Nihombashi Tower, 7-1, Nihonbashi 2-chome,Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-6060, Japan
Incorporated	December 1, 1949
Paid-in Capital	JPY 262,686 million（As of Mar, 2019）
Main Business	Marubeni Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries use their broad business
	networks, both within Japan and overseas, to conduct importing and exporting (including
	third country trading), as well as domestic business, encompassing a diverse range of
	business activities across wide-ranging fields including lifestyle, ICT & real estate
	business, forest products, food, agri business, chemicals, power business, energy, metals
	& mineral resources, plant, aerospace & ship, finance & leasing business, construction,
	auto & industrial machinery, and next generation business development. Additionally, the
	Marubeni Group offers a variety of services, makes internal and external investments, and
	is involved in resource development throughout all of the above industries.
Website	https://www.marubeni.com/en/
Company Name	Marubeni Tetsugen Co., Ltd
Office	1-21 Agebacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0824 Japan
Incorporated	July 1981
Paid-in Capital	JPY 490 million
Main Business	Domestic sales, import and export of raw materials for the production of iron & steel,
minerals, powder metallurgy materials, special metals, etc.
Website	https://www.marubeni-tetsugen.co.jp/en/
Company Name	Marubeni Metals Corporation
Office	1-7Kudan-Kita4-chome,Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8250 Japan
Incorporated	January 11, 1983
Paid-in Capital	JPY 1,300 million
Main Business	Domestic sales, import and export of non-ferrous and aluminum products
Website	https://www.marumet.co.jp/english/
Company Name	Tottori Resources Recycling, Inc.
Office	583 Higashi-sono,Hokuei-cho,Tohaku-gun, Tottori, 689-2202, Japan
Incorporated	December, 2001
Paid-in Capital	JPY 40million
Main Business	Producing foam glass by clean recycling process（patented technology）
	Inventing and selling solutions based on foam glass
Website	https://www.t-rrl.jp/en/