Environmental Activities - Products Recycling

Global Recycling Policy

Panasonic is one of the leading manufacturers supporting the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and is earnestly promoting product recycling worldwide.

The main focus of our recycling promotion activities are;

1. to understand the reality and the problems in the collection and recycling fields,
2. to propose optimal solutions to these problems from the viewpoint of the manufacturer, who has intimate knowledge of related products and,
3. to communicate sufficiently with various stakeholders.

We are now expanding our recycling programs steadily based on our own hands-on approch. We believe it is important for us to first understand what system of collection and recycling of products that we have sold will lead to the most preferable, feasible and sustainable mechanism from both the environmental and economic viewpoints, as well as accord well with the various requirements of the world’s respective regions and countries.

Additionally, Panasonic has a strong commitment to legal compliance and to society as a whole. We are dedicated to acting as a public entity that maintains a sharp awareness of whether our collection and recycling system is being implemented in line with the aims of the law , as well as making proposals and efforts to realize a true recycling society through our own initiatives. We have a sincere attitude toward fulfilling our social responsibility as a manufacturer.

In the EU, we are pleased to see the progress that has been achieved through the national transposition of the WEEE Directive. However, it is not clear how effectively resources are being utilized, so our affiliated company ENE EcologyNet Europe GmbH (ENE) is making proposals regarding appropriate direction and specific measures jointly with leading recyclers, certain manufacturers and the authorities concerned in several European countries, especially in Germany.

In the United States, in parallel with newly-enacted e-waste law in Minnesota, in 2007 we established a recycling management company, Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, LLC (MRM) along with Toshiba and Sharp. MRM is now working on to develop a recycling program that is fully functional and effective. We are planning to expand MRM’s activities to other states as well.

Lastly, we have found Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) to be an effective mechanism for reflecting our daily collection and recycling activities back into product design. In Japan, Panasonic has played a leadership role in implementing a collection and recycling system specified in the Home Appliance Recycling Law that covers various aspects of IPR. Based on our positive experiences in Japan, we try to improve collection and recycling systems globally while adjusting to local infrastructures, markets and legislative conditions. We will continue to deepen our understanding the reality and the problems that apply in the regions and countries where we do business, and to study how to put into practice the principle of producer’s responsibility as best applicable to our respective markets.