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News Release from: Resource Efficiency Knowledge Transfer Network | Subject: DTI Mission to Japan
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 August 2006
UK needs to do more to meet recycling
targets
DTI Missions to Japan and Europe highlight that much still needs to be done if the UK is to meet its waste recycling targets, particularly in relation to the forthcoming WEEE Directive
According to findings from a recent DTI Global Watch Mission to Japan - which looked at how Japanese electronics manufacturers and recycling companies are meeting waste recycling targets - UK recycling companies, manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment and the Government have much to do if the UK is to meet the forthcoming EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive Conclusions from the 'Innovating novel recovery and recycling technologies in Japan' Report were that Japanese companies, from as early as 1999, have been developing advanced knowledge of how to run 'recycling systems': the legal system, infrastructure, plants and logistics, through a strategic approach that includes the government, investors and industry
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 4 Aug 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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The Report concluded that: "Japan's household appliance recycling regulations and the framework in which they operate sit in stark contrast to the UK's approach to the application of waste-related legislation" and that the UK has some "clear lessons to learn from the Japanese".
The Report also stated that more input from industry is required here in the UK, particularly when it comes to setting legislation itself.
Also, Japan is not so cost-driven as the UK and is prepared to over-invest if necessary to get it right, a culture that seems to extend throughout Japanese society.
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WEEE: Reports on activity in Japan and Europe
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The UK Resource Efficiency Knowledge Transfer Network (Resource Efficiency KTN) - whose objective is to minimise waste in the UK by stimulating innovation in the country's key technology sectors by promoting collaboration, best practice and knowledge sharing between industry and academia - was at the forefront of the DTI Global Watch Mission to Japan.
Arnold Black, Operations Director of the Resource Efficiency KTN, was a key member of the visiting delegation to Japan.
As Black points out: "The WEEE Directive has been around for four or five years now.
Although the rest of Europe has implemented the legislation, only the UK and Malta have not.
The major reason for this is that the UK Government wants to consult properly with the major UK stakeholders first before fully implementing the legislation.
The DTI Global Watch Mission to Japan in September 2005, was organised so that we could see how recycling companies and electronics manufacturers in the country were meeting their waste recycling targets.
We could then benchmark the UK against Japan and from later visits, with other countries in Europe".
The UK delegation to Japan, which comprised a cross-section of UK industry in terms of size (large UK nationals and SMEs) and sectors (waste collection, logistics, eco-design, plastics recovery, WEEE and mobile phone recycling), visited leading Japanese electronics companies, including Mitsubishi Electric (Hyper Cycle), Toshiba, Hitachi, Panasonic (METEC), Sharp's Kansai Recycling plant, Sony (Green Cycle) and Tokyo Eco Recycle, as well as Government officials at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
"We went to Japan and discovered that the whole programme of recycling was very simplified," adds Black: "The 80/20 rule was cleverly applied by the Japanese companies, with 80% of the recycling target being recovered from just four different types of electronic appliances: washing machines, TVs, refrigerators and air conditioners".
For the past four years, Japan has consistently beaten its own targets for recycling electronic consumer goods.
In 2004 for example, the target for recycling air conditioning units was 60%, but the actual rate recovered was 82%.
"We came away from Japan with the view that the companies there were using predominantly basic technology to recycle electronic goods.
There was nothing particularly novel or innovative about what these companies were doing in their recycling processes.
However, what was impressive was their organisation and how efficient their de-manufacturing [disassembly of electronics goods for recycling] processes were, which were predominantly manual.
When we looked at their recycling and dismantling processes, it was like looking at a manufacturing process in reverse playback mode.
Also, their buy-in to the whole idea of recycling and the targets set by their government are met with enthusiasm by all companies involved across the whole supply chain," enthuses Black.
"Another key finding from the visits was that the Japanese have a very clear cost structure when it comes to recycling.
The consumer pays a premium on electronic goods to cover disposal and recycling costs.
In the case of a TV, this is around £13.50.
Japan has a national, web-based audit trail for all its electronic goods for example.
Consumers have to buy tickets at a Post Office, there are five in total across the supply chain, for various companies or individuals within the chain.
The system would be difficult to replicate here in the UK, as people still buy goods on price here, whereas Japanese consumers tend to buy goods based on brand loyalty.
It became quite clear that there will be cultural barriers to overcome here in the UK," warns Black: "The difference between what we saw in Japan and what was happening in Europe wasn't anything to do with innovation, such as sophisticated separation technology, it was that the Japanese were more organised and efficient.
In Japan, design engineers and R+D staff at the major electronics OEMs were developing new electronic products that were designed for disassembly, so that they could be de-manufactured faster and more efficiently.
They were actually sending design engineers into the dismantling and recycling plants to see for themselves how their designs could improve things at the recycling end".
According to Black, the amount of manual handling and disassembly was surprisingly high, but extremely efficient.
Some typical examples quoted by the Japanese OEMs were nine minutes for a television (CRTs not LCDs), 12 minutes for a fridge and 24 minutes for an air conditioner.
Also, the feedstock to the waste disposal and recycling companies was much more organised and efficient.
The way in which different types of electronic goods (according to the OEM) were filtered through to the appropriate recycling and dismantling plant was most impressive.
Recommendations from the Japan Mission included: developing some form of strategic cooperation between the UK and Japan focused on the transfer of recycling and eco-design knowledge and technologies; to develop a UK network of electronics recycling technology companies; to consider the educational element of any such centre of excellence as a forum for teaching future generations; to develop a UK demonstration recycling plant based on Japanese knowledge and experience; and to develop an Anglo-Japanese research project to classify the recycling plants seeking to explore inward investment from Japan.
Overall recommendations were that the UK Government should consider setting up a national WEEE recycling R+D facility or 'centre of excellence' to encourage innovative R+D.
And, Government support should not stop with R+D, but should continue down through product development and field trials to market, with a suitable emphasis on 'new product' manufacturing development.
The Report also recommended that the DTI bring in "simple regulations" in the key sectors as soon as possible, with a longer term view to amending and extending these measures as experience is gained.
Education is also seen as important area both to enlighten the younger generation about fundamental recycling and the older generation towards the use of recovered materials as sustainable products.
Black has also recently returned from leading a similar DTI Global Watch Mission to Continental Europe (Sweden, Germany, Spain and Austria) and will introduce a seminar programme based on these visits at the forthcoming 'Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition' (RWM06) at the NEC, 12-14 September 2006.
On the afternoon of the 13th September, the DTI Global Watch Service will run a series of seminars on its findings from these European visits.
The main objectives of the European visits were to understand the mechanisms put in place by EU members to achieve their targets for electronic recycling.
In the seminars, the mission members will report individually on the latest recycling technologies in their area of interest and will be available afterwards for in-depth Q+A sessions.
The Resource Efficiency KTN will be exhibiting at the show on stand number 332.
Other UK industry 'experts' will be at the exhibition, helping to demystify waste legislation and uncover the latest recycling technologies.
The free seminar sessions at the show are structured to appeal to businesses, retailers, local authorities and materials re-processors.
The opening sessions on 12 September are dedicated to the WEEE Directive and will feature expert speakers from all aspects of the supply chain.
To download copies of the DTI Global Watch Mission Reports, please go to the website, or to request a hard copy, contact the RE-KTN direct.
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