News Release

JX Advanced Metals Circular Solutions Co., Ltd. ("JXCS," President: Togami Ichiro), a joint venture between JX Advanced Metals Corporation ("JX Advanced Metals," President: Hayashi Yoichi) and Mitsubishi Corporation (President and CEO: Nakanishi Katsuya), will participate in a demonstration project conducted by KDDI Corporation ("KDDI") and Lawson, Inc. from September 1 through November 30, 2026.
The project will use "Bin-e," a fire-resistant, AI-powered automated sorting recycling box being rolled out in Japan by Forcetec Inc., to collect used products containing lithium-ion batteries. The box will be installed in a space near the Lawson Takanawa Gateway City store. Under the project, JXCS will be responsible for the collection, transportation, and recycling of the collected portable power banks and heated tobacco devices.

　

In recent years, compact electronic devices containing lithium-ion batteries, including smartphones, portable power banks, heated tobacco devices, and wireless earphones, have become widely used. At the same time, fires caused by the improper disposal of used lithium-ion batteries have emerged as a social issue, creating a growing need for safe collection and treatment systems.

Lithium-ion batteries and used small electronic devices also contain rare metals and precious metals, including lithium, cobalt, and nickel. From the perspectives of effective resource utilization and resource security, another key challenge is to establish mechanisms that enable appropriate collection and recycling through collaboration across the entire supply chain.

　

The JX Advanced Metals Group efficiently recovers and recycles copper, precious metals, and a wide range of rare metals contained in discarded electronic circuit boards and other materials by leveraging technologies developed through its copper smelting and refining business. JXCS is working to commercialize closed-loop recycling that recovers rare metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel from used lithium-ion batteries and reuses them as materials for new batteries.

By participating in this demonstration project led by KDDI, the Group will work to establish a mechanism that connects collection at locations familiar and accessible to consumers with resource circulation. For the JX Advanced Metals Group, this project represents a first step toward creating a resource circulation system based on collection points located within people's everyday living environments. The Group will apply the knowledge gained through the project to expand future collaboration and further develop these initiatives.

　

Through its participation in the project, the Group will contribute to reducing the risk of fires by promoting the appropriate treatment of products containing lithium-ion batteries. At the same time, it will accelerate the advancement of closed-loop recycling, through which metal resources recovered from used products are reused in new products, while expanding collaboration with a diverse range of partners.

　

The JX Advanced Metals Group will continue to broaden its partnerships and contribute to the realization of a circular society in which finite resources are recovered and put to use once again.

　

　

Conceptual image of "Bin-e," an AI-powered automated sorting recycling box