Fuji Eco Cycle Recycles 10 Million Units of Four Types of Home Appliances
Precise Manual Disassembly and Industry-first Technology in the Home Appliance Recycling Sector for Highly Efficient and Safe Recycling

Fujitsu General today announced that the total number of home appliances recycled by Fuji Eco Cycle Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "Fuji Eco Cycle") has reached 10 million units this year.^*1 Fuji Eco Cycle is a subsidiary of Fujitsu General, responsible for handling the home appliance recycling business for the Fujitsu General Group. The resources recovered since the company's foundation in April 2001 amount to 165,000 tons of iron, 12,000 tons of copper, and 5,000 tons of aluminum.

uji Eco Cycle combines manual disassembly with crushing and sorting by machinery, using the most suitable processing method for each item. This enables the company to achieve a very high level of recycling.^*2 In particular, fine components and composite materials that are difficult to recover mechanically are properly sorted for recycling by employees by hand. This meticulous manual sorting process is one of Fuji Eco Cycle's strengths. Notably, careful and precise extraction of copper wires and iron components included in motors and compressors enables recycling of these materials as high-purity resources.

In addition, Fuji Eco Cycle was the first to introduce the "nitrogen displacement method" in the home appliance recycling industry. This method reduces the risk of dust explosions during the process of crushing refrigerators. By lowering the oxygen concentration within the refrigerators, fires and explosions are avoided. At the same time, the fluorocarbon gas contained within the thermal insulation materials is recovered safely and efficiently. With the use of these advanced technologies, the company reduces environmental impact and improves recycling efficiency while ensuring safety.

The company also recently introduced^*3 the "wet sorting apparatus" to recover higher-grade plastics from used home appliances. This has increased the recovery rate of PP (polypropylene) as a single material from mixed plastics by 2.5 times^*4, advancing the recycling of plastic resources.

Fuji Eco Cycle is committed to actively developing and introducing new recycling technologies. The company will continue to sort and recover materials such as iron, copper, aluminum, and plastics from discarded home appliances at high purity levels. These efforts will lead to preserving the global environment and building a sustainable society.

Manual disassembly of a used air conditioner

Disassembly of an air conditioner compressor

Reference

About Fuji Eco Cycle

Fuji Eco Cycle operates the home appliance recycling business under the Home Appliance Recycling Law (Act on Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances). The company recycles four types of used home appliances (air conditioners, television sets, refrigerators, and washing machines), aiming to create a sustainable circular society.

The company also focuses on reducing environmental impact while coexisting with the regional community, contributing to the local society and natural environment of Hamamatsu. Its efforts to reduce environmental impact include a solar power generation system being installed onsite to cover 30% of electricity consumption with renewable energy. CO2-free energy sources are used for the remaining 70%. Furthermore, the Fujitsu General Hamamatsu Office, where Fuji Eco Cycle operates, has a large-scale biotope with an area of 1,500 square meters. This biotope serves to conserve endangered species and the flora and fauna of Hamamatsu's local satoyama woodland areas. It also provides environmental education for the next generation of children, helping us build a sustainable future together with the local community.

Overhead view of Fujitsu General Hamamatsu Office.
Solar panels are installed on the roof of Fuji Eco Cycle building
(top part of photo).

Fujitsu General Hamamatsu Office has a biotope within the premises to conserve
the natural environment and promote biodiversity in the region.