Konica Minolta Finally Starts Using Recycled Plastics for Printers and Toner

Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) has been actively working to use recycled plastics, which contribute to a recycling-oriented society. Leveraging its know-how of high-functionality recycling, the Company has started supplying recycled plastics derived from used polycarbonate (PC) water bottles through joint development with NEC Platforms, Ltd. (NEC Platforms) for exterior parts of an Aterm home Wi-Fi router manufactured by NEC Platforms.

Initiative to Use Limited Resources Effectively

Konica Minolta has been working on five material issues, including using limited resources effectively, through its business. The Company aims to reduce the amount of the earth’s native resources used by 90% or more by 2050 from the 2019 level. This will be accomplished by not only reducing the amount of resources used in products, but also by proactively switching to recyclable resources, such as recycled materials. The Company has also set a target of maximizing its contribution to reducing the use of the earth’s native resources by externally deploying its know-how and technologies and promoting the use of recyclable resources.

As one of the specific initiatives, Konica Minolta is actively developing high-functionality recycling technology to use post-consumer recycled plastics for MFP parts, which require a high degree of functionality, and is expanding the use of recycled plastics to many products. The Company is also taking on challenges to expand the scope of reducing the environmental impact by accelerating collaboration with many more partner companies in order to promote the establishment of resource recycling in line with the business model.

Joint Development of Recycled PC for the Aterm

Recycled PC derived from used water bottles is used for about 40%^*1 of the exterior plastics of the Aterm WX5400T6, a new home Wi-Fi router manufactured by NEC Platforms. Given that the exterior parts of routers require flame resistance and strength, Konica Minolta and NEC Platforms developed a high-functionality recycling material with these properties added and used it for the product.

Use of Recycled Plastics for Konica Minolta Products

To recycle used PET bottles and PC water bottles as exterior materials for MFPs and recycle ABS resins recovered from used game machines as inner casing materials, Konica Minolta has been developing technologies for improving strength, flame resistance, and molding usability. For MFP products launched in FY2019, the percentage of PCR^*2 was raised to about 70% for recycled PC/PET in exterior materials, and to 95% or more for recycled ABS resin in inner casing materials by refining material and processing technologies. As a result, recycled plastics now account for about 35% of the total resin content by weight in the MFP main body.

Konica Minolta also recycles milk containers made from polyethylene and turns them into toner bottles for MFPs. It has developed washing technology that removes the smell of milk and minute cells that would degrade the quality, and has established a mass production system in Mexico and Malaysia. The Company has succeeded in raising the percentage of PCR in the raw material used for toner containers to 40% and has attained 100% for some products.

Source: Tonernews

Covered By: Imaging Solution / Konica Minolta

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