Panasonic Australia has announced that it will utilize the data collected from the new National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme to design and develop next-generation products.
The announcement was made after the Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP), a not-for-profit association endorsed by several major technology brands, including Panasonic, received accreditation as an approved recycler for the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme. The new electronics recycling scheme will be launched in July 2012 and its main objective is to improve the recycling rates of computers and televisions to over 80% by 2020 to 2021.
By joining the Australian recycling program, Panasonic will be able to produce products by using raw materials that are recoverable or easier to process during recycling. Steve Rust, Panasonic Australia’s Managing Director, remarked that the local recycling program will help their global design and engineering team to develop greener and superior products. Rust added that one of the important benefits of the ANZRP program is that manufacturers can use their expertise and knowledge to further reduce television and computer waste.
The company is already utilizing information from other global programs to enhance its products. The recycling television programs have helped Panasonic to considerably minimize the number of parts used in CRT TVs. By observing the Japanese recycling plants, the company has developed a wide series of recycling technologies, including a plastics sorter with high accuracy. The sorter significantly increased the processing times in recycling plants.