Mitsubishi Materials : ２. Creation of a recycling-oriented society (21-28page) (348KB)

Creation of a recycling-oriented society

In Pursuit of a Recycling-Oriented Business Model

In Pursuit of a Recycling-Oriented Business Model

Purpose of activities	Activities during fscal 2021	Self-	Targets/plans for activities from fscal
assessment	2022 onwards
Promoting the recycling	The amount recycled was 1,850 tons/year,	B	Ensure the stable operation of recycling
of fuorine resources	18% below the plan		plants and achieve the plan of the amount
(Advanced Products	Material recycling rate was 19%, 6% below		recycled
(Electronic Materials &	the plan
Components))
Promoting the recycling	Recycling rate increased (by 135% from	A	Recycling rate increased (by 97% from the
of tungsten	the fscal 2018 level)		fscal 2018 level)
(Metalworking Solutions	Use more recycling manufacturers (than		Stabilize the amount of recycling
Business)	the current level ⇒ Add one manufacturer)
Expanding recycling	Optimize the smelting business in response	A	Material fow optimization
operations (Metals	to the expansion of E-Scrap processing
Business)
Steadily processing	Consumption of waste plastics increased	B	Increase the usage of waste plastic by
industrial waste as raw	by 14,189 tons from the previous year		introducing high-efciency kiln burners
materials (Cement	Biomass and low-cost alternative thermal		Look for new biomass and low-cost
Business)	energy resources increased by 2,239 tons		alternative thermal energy resources and
	from the previous year		expand acceptance of such energy
			Increase waste utilization through fully
			automated analytical equipment
Advancement of Home	Technology development for automatic	A	Expand the home appliance recycling
Appliances Recycling	sorting robot		business, promote automation of home
Aiming for No.1 handling	Development of technologies for		appliance recycling, and improve the
company of E-Scrap in	recovering cobalt and nickel from lithium		added value of collected items
Japan (Environment &	ion batteries		Verifcation of technologies for recycling
Energy Business)	Demonstrated advanced recycling of		lithium ion batteries and solar panels
	collected items from home appliances		Stable operation of the incineration fy ash
	recycling by utilizing automobile recycling		recycling business and the business of
	facilities		producing biogas from food waste
Facilitating the 3Rs as	Continued to provide internal support for	A	Provide lateral support to further improve
part of aluminum can	Universal		the aluminum-can recovery rate of
operations (Aluminum	Can Corporation in line with the Japan		Universal Can Corporation
Business)	Aluminum Can
	Recycling Association's third voluntary
	action plan to promote the 3Rs via
	aluminum beverage cans

Self-assessment grades A: Target achieved B: Target mostly achieved C: Target not achieved

Recycling-Oriented Business Model

Overview of our Recycling-Oriented Business Model

The Mitsubishi Materials Group is a complex corporate entity encompassing a wide range of technologies and expertise, from resources upstream to materials midstream to processed products downstream. We have continued to make the most of those capabilities on a groupwide scale, in an efort to establish a recycling-oriented business model based on recovering resources from a wide range of waste products.

We strive to create cyclical value chains in each of our businesses, so that resources and materials are processed into products and then recycled back into materials. As well as enabling sustainable growth, this also helps to promote recycling-oriented social systems（Circular Economy）.

21

• Recycling-orientedbusiness model of the Group

22

Creation of a recycling-oriented society

Recycling-oriented value chain

Recycling in Individual Businesses

Advanced Products (Electronic Materials & Components)

• Recycling Fluorine Resources

We manufacture a range of fuorine compounds at the Group company Mitsubishi Materials Electronic Chemicals Co., Ltd., including materials for use in semiconductor manufacturing, fame retardant and antistatic materials, and hydrofuoric acid. Since fscal 2007, we have been engaged in the recycling of fuorine resources in which we recover calcium fuoride waste emitted by companies using fuorine compounds and recycle it back into fuorine resources that can be used as alternative raw materials for fuorite. We will promote the recycling of fuorine resources through further technical innovation.

Metalworking Solutions

• Recycling Tungsten from Urban Mines

Waste containing rare metals is often found in the form of "urban mines," which contain such a high percentage of rare metals that it is possible to extract them more efciently than obtaining metals from natural resources. A prime example is tungsten, the main raw material used in cemented carbide products. Making the most of the Mitsubishi Materials Group's comprehensive capabilities as a manufacturer, from raw materials through to fnished products, we are currently focusing on recycling used cemented carbide products in an efort to secure stable supplies of raw materials

Metals

■ Recycling Rare Metals

PGM* are rare metals that are found in copper concentrate. Group company	The rare metal recycling process
Materials Eco-Refning Co., Ltd. refnes PGM intermediate materials obtained
from our Naoshima Smelter & Refnery, to create products such as metals
and chemical compounds.
Platinum and palladium in particular are key materials in the automotive,
electric and electronic sectors. With that in mind, we applied to register our
brand with the London Platinum and Palladium Market (LPPM), as a means
of ofering market assurance, and successfully obtained certifcation in
September 2012. We are determined to keep on improving the quality of our
products, and make every efort to ensure stable supplies of rare metals.
* Platinum Group Metals

23

■ Recycling Scrap

We use smelting technology for the purpose of recycling at our smelters and	Volume of scrap processed
refneries. We take in a wide variety of scrap, including shredder dust and
used batteries from sources such as used home appliances or scrap vehicles,
and E-Scrap from sources such as used substrates and connectors. We then
recycle scrap, by using it for raw materials or thermal energy, and recover
valuable metals.
We also take in clinker dust, as a byproduct from our cement plants, and use
components such as calcium as auxiliary raw materials for smelting. After
use, clinker dust turns into copper slag, which is then recycled back into raw
materials at our cement plants.

Cement

• Recycling Industrial Waste and Byproducts

Using a burning process that reaches temperatures of 1,450°C, our cement plants detoxify and make efective use of industrial waste and other difcult- to-treat materials without generating any waste. As well as using substances such as construction sludge, coal ash, copper slag byproducts from copper smelters, and gypsum as raw materials, we also turn materials such as plastic, tires and wood back into cement, by using them as a source of thermal energy.

To deal with chlorine contained in waste products, which can afect plant operations and the quality of cement, we have installed and continue to upgrade high performance chlorine bypass facilities at each of our plants. To further promote the efective use of waste products meanwhile, we are committed to strengthening the capabilities of our waste processing facilities, through measures such as upgrading pre-treatment facilities for waste plastic and processing facilities for waste gypsum board.

Amount accepted and volume of per unit production of waste and byproducts

Environment & Energy

■ Home Appliances Recycling

Home appliances are made by combinations of various materials such as	Trend of recycled amount
glass, plastic and rubber as well as metals such as steel, aluminum, and
copper. Home appliances are frst of all disassembled manually, then crushed
and sorted at our home appliances recycling plants. We have adopted
several advanced sorting processes for components and materials, and are
always trying to create more value from recovered materials and to improve
recycling efciency. We recover copper and other precious metals from
recovered copper-based materials and printed circuit boards in our copper
smelting process. Thus, we maximize the efect of synergies within our
group. In fscal 2021, we recycled 2,987 thousand units of home appliances
at six plants of our fve afliated companies（6 companies, 7 plants, 3,672
thousand units）*. Recycling of this volume could reduce landfll disposal
equivalent to approximately 120 thousand tons.
*There are 6 companies and 7 factories for home appliance recycling, but 5
companies and 6 factories are subject to LCA evaluation.

24

Aluminum Business

• Recycling Aluminum Beverage Cans

We have been operating a total CAN TO CAN recycling system within the Mitsubishi Materials Group (Universal Can Corp. and Mitsubishi Aluminum Co., Ltd.), based on a cycle of can manufacturing, collecting, melting, casting and rolling, for over 40 years now. Our system is uniquely integrated within the Group and enables us to process used beverage cans (UBC) on a leading scale domestically, thereby helping to conserve aluminum resources. We also do our bit to prevent global warming by manufacturing slabs of recycled aluminum from UBC. As this only requires about 3% as much energy as manufacturing aluminum from scratch, it enables us to substantially reduce energy consumption, and it also enables us to contribute to preventing global warming.

Domestic recycling of aluminum used beverage cans and the percentage of those cans collected by the Mitsubishi Materials Group (FY2007 = 100%)

TOPICS Aluminum Beverage Can Recycling that Responds to the Need to Conserve the Global Environment

Aluminum beverage can recycling has its long history. At the Mitsubishi Materials Group, we proactively recycle aluminum beverage cans, thereby contributing to the conservation of the global environment.

According to a survey by Japan Aluminum Can Recycling Association, the recycling rate of used aluminum beverage cans in Japan has remained high for more than 10 years, exceeding 90% (94.0% in fscal 2021). Some used beverage cans are exported overseas even where they are reused appropriately.

A little less than 70% (71.0% in fscal 2021) of aluminum beverage cans recycled in Japan are reused as new aluminum beverage cans (Can-to- Can recycling). This rate is outstandingly higher than that of PET-to-PET recycling, which has been the 20% range (24.3% in fscal 2020: Data from The Council for PET Bottle Recycling).

The amount of energy consumed to recycle used aluminum beverage cans into new aluminum ingots is much lower, at only approx. 3% than that consumed to make new ingots through the process of smelting and refning aluminum ores (bauxite). Accordingly, CO2 emissions from the generation of electric power needed for recycling are quite low.

As seen above, aluminum beverage can recycling, which is already established as a stable social system, is a versatile approach to reducing waste, conserving resources and energy, preventing global warming, and presenting solutions to the recent concerns over marine plastic pollution.

25