This Japanese company is recycling gold with the help of urban mining

Industrial precious metal products used in products such as home appliances, information technology, and automobiles account for 70% of the foundation of the company's activities. The company boasts the world's largest market share for the fine gold bonding wires that are indispensable in the manufacturing of semiconductors, rivet contacts used in telecommunications and power equipment, and catalysts used in automotive sensors, exhaust gas purification, fuel cells, and other products.

In 1907, TANAKA succeeded in recycling the platinum used in light bulb filaments. In the 1960s, the company began full-scale operations collecting and recycling scrap metal produced in the manufacturing of home appliances and electronic devices, for which demand surged as the Japanese economy grew.

"Urban Mining" leads to sustainability of precious metals and resolution of environmental issues

TANAKA's proactive stance on reprocessing and recycling from early on was due to the scarcity of precious metals. 

"Precious metals are a natural resource," said Noriaki Hara, general manager of business development in the Global Sales Administration Department at TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo, the core company of the TANAKA Group. "If we continue to dig for them, they will eventually run out. However, in the field of industry, precious metals will surely become even more important in the future due to the demand for electric vehicles and semiconductors. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of precious metals mined — even a little — and increase sustainability, it will be necessary to recycle them from items such as used home appliances, cell phones, and industrial scrap metal, with what we call urban mining."

Urban mining also has environmental benefits. Working a mine requires heavy machinery and equipment, as well as a great deal of energy. While it varies depending on the vein of the ore, typically about five grams of gold can be extracted from a ton of gold ore. However, the amount of gold that can be recovered from a ton of cell phones (about 10,000 phones) is as much as 280 grams. Recycling gold from urban mining uses less energy, and CO₂ emissions can also be reduced. This means recycling precious metals is also essential from an environmental standpoint.

Advanced analytical and recycling technologies at the cornerstone of customer trust

The recycling of precious metals contributes to the formation of a recycling-oriented society and to the reduction of environmental impact. The RE Series, TANAKA's new initiative, is aiding in achieving this goal. RE Series products are made exclusively from 100% recycled precious metal materials, and compounds for plating solution and Au bonding wire have already been launched as products.

Since its inception, TANAKA has established recycling flows with its supplier companies. Conventionally, precious metals refined from recycled materials and new materials such as ingots and coins were commercialized as raw materials and supplied to companies. The companies then supplied products made using such raw materials to the market. The RE Series is made up of recycled precious metal materials refined from 100% recycled material only, using the basic recycling flow and strictly enforcing origin control. Underpinning the series is a wealth of knowledge of the recycling business built up over many years.

For example, in terms of analytical technologies, the company makes full use of chemical gravimetric analysis and instrumental analysis for evaluation, and it has acquired the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. In recent years, mineral management, in particular, has become increasingly important. In short, this means only dealing in precious metals that are of certain origins. TANAKA has a "Responsible Mineral Management Policy" and is undertaking initiatives to achieve mineral procurement, taking human rights, the environment, and ethics into account.

"The development and manufacture of products incorporating cutting-edge technology could not be achieved without the precious metals used in their components," Hara said. "Recovery from urban mining and recycling rates can be further increased. Looking to the future, TANAKA will continue to take on the challenge of recycling precious metals."

Learn more about TANAKA Precious Metals.

This article was created by TANAKA with Insider Studios.