Fujifilm business innovation achieves horizontal plastic recycling

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp. and Teijin Limited have jointly achieved horizontal closed-loop recycling for the exterior covers of multifunction printers. The newly developed process allows collected end-of-life printer covers to be recycled into new front covers that meet strict aesthetic and physical standards.

FUJIFILM Business Innovation has always operated a closed-loop system to remanufacture printers. The company traditionally reused parts by cleaning them and applying a blasting process. Front exterior covers present a specific challenge because they require high visual quality. Covers with severe scratches could not undergo standard reuse processes and required replacement with newly manufactured parts.

To keep these plastics in a continuous loop, the two companies developed a tailored recycling method. FUJIFILM Business Innovation uses a wet crushing technique, which washes the plastic components while crushing them to minimise contamination from foreign materials. Teijin then applies its advanced compounding technology to adjust the colour and restore the physical properties of the degraded plastic. This collaboration results in a material containing 80 percent recycled content that mirrors the appearance and durability of virgin plastic.

The recycled plastic is currently applied to the remanufactured ApeosPort VII C R and ApeosPort C R series. This advancement is a shift from downcycling to horizontal recycling.