Panasonic Energy Establishes a Scheme to Collect and Recycle Used Dry Batteries in Thailand

Accelerating the “Circular Economy Initiative” to collect and recycle used dry batteries in Thailand

Osaka, Japan – June 10, 2024 – Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd., a Panasonic Group Company, is pleased to announce that it has established a scheme to recycle used dry batteries through 7-Eleven stores in Thailand in March 2024, after commencement of collection of used dry batteries in 2022 in collaboration with CP ALL Public Company Limited (CP ALL) with the aim of helping reduce the environmental impact in the long term. The companies have installed collection boxes at 1,000 7-Eleven stores, which was the goal set when the project kicked off, and have been spreading the initiative across Thailand.

Panasonic Energy’s dry batteries are widely used as an energy source that can be used anytime, anywhere to underpin the “happiness in our daily lives” and as an emergency energy source in the event of disasters. Since 2020, Panasonic Energy has been working on global initiatives to reduce environmental impact as the top manufacturer of dry batteries, such as using paper package for packing of dry batteries and promoting efforts to achieve net zero CO₂ emissions at factories in Japan and overseas.

In June 2022, Panasonic Energy started to install collection boxes for used dry batteries in Thailand at 31 local 7-Eleven stores in cooperation with CP ALL, which operates 7-Eleven. In March 2024, the company established a scheme to recycle collected used dry batteries manufactured by itself. The company partnered with UMC Metals Ltd., a Thai steelmaker that utilizes an ECOARC™ Furnace, an electric furnace that can melt used dry batteries into reusable materials with economic value. This unique technology makes it possible to melt Panasonic Energy’s dry batteries, which do not contain environmentally harmful substances, and recover reusable materials, thereby accelerating the “Circular Economy Initiative through Battery Recycling Project.”

This initiative aims to reduce waste in the ecosystem and promote reuse of materials based on the principles of circular economy. Panasonic Energy encourages consumers to recycle used dry batteries.

Panasonic Energy has also been conducting a demonstration experiment in Japan to collect and recycle used dry batteries. The company will continue to research and establish a process for efficient collection and recycling of used dry batteries through acceleration and expansion of global initiatives toward “achieving a society in which the pursuit of happiness and a sustainable environment are harmonized free of conflict,” which is the company’s mission.