Recycling of Nonferrous Metal Products Gaining Traction; Demand from Leading Companies Rising Amid Co2-Cutting Efforts

By Shunsuke Tanaka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:13 JST, May 19, 2025

Products made from recycled nonferrous metals such as aluminum and copper are becoming increasingly common and finding favor among leading companies.

Major aluminum sheet manufacturer UACJ Corp. from July will sell thick plates made completely from recycled raw materials. This comes against a backdrop of manufacturers receiving these products being more proactive in using recycled materials amid the growing shift to a circular economy.

UACJ became able to make and sell 100% recycled items after establishing a system that ensures a stable supply of aluminum scrap from processing wholesalers and other sources. The plates will be sold under UACJ’s ALmitas+ SMART brand with the aim of promoting its aluminum product as having a low environmental impact.

UACJ expects the plates to be sold to makers of semiconductors and liquid crystal manufacturing equipment. The company said that will be the first attempt in Japan to have such products permanently available for sale as a catalog item, rather than offering them through custom-made special orders.

According to the Japan Aluminium Association, almost 100% of casting material such as engine parts is recycled. However, the figure for wrought aluminum including foil and plates is only about 10%, and the overall recycle rate of aluminum is 48%. Large strides are being made in the development of technologies that sort and melt scrap, which will lead to the wider reuse of wrought material.

In 2024, Mitsubishi Materials Corp. established the Remine brand, which publicizes the percentage of recycled content in its metal products. The company currently sells six products under this brand. Four of these products, including refined tin ingots, are made using 100% recycled material.

JX Advanced Metals Corp. also sells recycled titanium copper alloy and other metals.

Smartphones and tablets

These moves are a response to requests by leading companies seeking to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions generated along their supply chains. Aluminum and copper are essential for manufactured products such as vehicles and home appliances, and using recycled metals leads to lower CO2 emissions than making them from ore.

Products such as iPhones made by U.S. technology giant Apple Inc. already use 100% recycled copper, and Microsoft Corp. sells tablets containing recycled aluminum alloys and rare metals.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped additional tariffs on aluminum imports on the pretense of protecting U.S. economic security and has unveiled plans to encourage domestic production of critical minerals.

“The trade risks to Japanese companies are growing due to factors including the U.S. tariff policy,” said Yuki Togano, a researcher at the Japan Research Institute Ltd. “Advancing the recycling of resources is an important option.”