Japanese-Based Circulatory Initiatives
Daikin will Recycle Earth Magnets from Air Conditioners
Debra John — April 15, 2026
Earth magnets are central to Daikin’s participation in a collaborative initiative to establish Japan’s first circular system for recovering and recycling rare earth magnets from commercial air conditioning compressors. The initiative, developed with Hitachi and Shin-Etsu Chemical, is designed to reduce reliance on newly mined materials and promote resource efficiency within manufacturing systems.
Daikin will collect end-of-life compressors, while Hitachi’s subsidiary, Tokyo Eco Recycle, will manage disassembly and extraction processes using advanced robotics and AI-supported image recognition to improve recovery rates. The project also incorporates resonance damping demagnetization technology, which reduces environmental impact by avoiding the direct carbon dioxide emissions associated with conventional furnace-based methods.
Recovered materials will be reused by Shin-Etsu Chemical to produce new magnets, supporting a closed-loop supply chain. Full-scale implementation is expected by 2027, advancing circular economy practices and reducing the environmental footprint of industrial production.
