Promoting Raw Material Recycling
For basic views, structure, and targets, please refer to Environmental Management.
For performance data for environmental indicators, please refer to the CSR Book (ESG Data).
Initiatives and Results
Recovering resources from used products after providing products to customers plays a major role in building a circular economy. The Sumitomo Electric Group promotes the recycling of copper, the main raw material of our products, and rare metals, which are limited resources. In addition, we collect used electric wires and cables, optical fiber cables, and cemented carbide chips for cutting processes and recycle them as raw materials for our products.
Recycling copper
The Group dismantles used electric power and communication cables at its affiliate Sumiden Materials Processing Co., Ltd. and recycles the recovered copper using a copper smelting furnace called a Tilting Reverberatory Furnace that the Group owns.
We recycle nearly 100% of copper, coating materials and metals from collected electric wires and cables. In addition, we have established a system that is capable of recycling all the carbide chips sold in Japan and their plastic cases. The carbide chips are chiefly composed of tungsten, a rare metal.
We recycle nearly 100% of copper, coating materials and metals from collected electric wires and cables.
Recycling tungsten
The tungsten used in hard metals (super-hard alloys) for cutting tools manufactured by the Group is collected from customers and recycled at the affiliate Niagara Refining LLC.
