Panasonic -- the First in Industry to Utilize Recycled Polypropylene in Speakers

Panasonic Electronic Devices Co. of Japan has developed a resin speaker frame that uses polypropylene (recycled PP) extracted from mixed plastics from waste consumer electronics. This is the first practice of its kind in the industry (see Note). The company started selling a new "eco-friendly" speaker unit using the recycled-PP resin frame and a mass-produced bamboo-fiber diaphragm in January 2011.

The Panasonic Group has given great attention to recycled PP extracted from used consumer electronics, and has been working to establish the design technology and quality control technology for using recycled PP--which previously was recycled predominantly for fuel--at mass scale.

The new speaker utilizes recycled PP as a frame material, which, along with the diaphragm, features the requisite high rigidity as well as lightness in weight. Panasonic also plans to use recycled PP in car speakers, AV speakers, flat-screen TVs, and other products.

Note. Panasonic's investigation of the speaker using the recycled polypropylene extracted from used home-appliance products as of November 4, 2010

Posted: 2011/04/30 06:00:15 AM