Fujitsu Reuses Own Products in the Manufacture of PCs

Electronics giant Fujitsu Ltd. announced on August 17, 2012, that it had begun to reuse used CDs and DVDs in summer 2012 model notebook PCs, a first for the PC industry. This recycling system, which was developed jointly by Fujitsu and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., is expected to reduce the amount of new plastic used by at least 10 tons per year, and CO2 emissions by approximately 15% a year, in comparison with the conventional manufacturing process.

At the company's five recycling centers across Japan, Fujitsu collects, disassembles and sorts PCs and other products as part of the Fujitsu Group's efforts to promote the creation of a resource-recycling society. Fujitsu decided to recycle CDs and DVDs, which are included with PCs and are available in predictable quantities. These discs were deemed to be a suitable material for recycling because they do not contain any contaminants, such as flame retardants, and are made from polycarbonate, a plastic suitable for the bodies of notebook PCs.

Fujitsu has improved the quality of recycled materials, and are able to reuse collected plastics in the bodies of PCs, after implementing a strict quality control process using its own risk management database, and with the cooperation of associated businesses. In the future, Fujitsu aims to diversify the types of recycled materials and to expand the types of products in which these materials are used.

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