Japanese Firms to Recover Rare Earth Magnets from ACs, Targeting Supply Chain Resilience
[SMM Rare Earth News Flash] Japan's Daikin Industries, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Hitachi, and Tokyo Eco Recycle jointly announced that they will recover rare earth magnets from commercial air conditioning compressors. They plan to develop automated equipment in 2026 and achieve full-scale operations in 2027, with a target of recovering several mt of rare earth magnets such as neodymium annually. Daikin will collect compressors, Tokyo Eco Recycle and Hitachi will be responsible for extraction, and Shin-Etsu Chemical will use recovered materials to reproduce new magnets. This initiative aims to establish Japan's first commercial air conditioning magnet recycling framework, reduce dependence on Chinese rare earths, and enhance supply chain resilience.