Mitsubishi Motors Corporation supports the shift of the global economic model from one based on mass production, mass consumption and mass disposal towards one that is recycling-oriented and leaves a smaller environmental footprint.

Promoting recycling requires action at every stage of a vehicle’s life cycle and Mitsubishi is taking action at each of these stages. A ‘3R’ ethos - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - adopted at the design stage ensures that future Mitsubishi products will be manufactured with the least waste and emissions possible and be tailored for easy recycling at the end of their lives.

End-of-life recycling is a key issue for realising such a shift. Moreover, there is a valuable economic role that recycling can play in helping maintain stable supplies of materials.

Mitsubishi vehicles are designed so that recyclable parts can be easily disassembled, classified and sorted for future use.

Recyclable thermoplastic resin is used for most interior and exterior fittings, including the bumpers and the instrument panel.

Unit parts such as bumpers are designed to be easy to disassemble and recycle. Mitsubishi now makes 40 diffferent parts out of recycled bumper materials.

To establish their recyclability, all plastic fittings weighing over 100 grams are labelled with their material composition.

To enable complete recycling of an end-of-life (ELV) vehicle as a source of high-grade steel, the wiring harnesses, electric motors and other parts containing elements like copper must first be removed. Together with vehicle dismantlers and based on disassembly tests, Mitsubishi has created standards to assess ease of removal for harnesses and motors.

Mitsubishi is a member of the International Dismantling Information System, along with 57 other car manufacturers worldwide, which enables easy identification of component materials to facilitate the disposal of ELVs.

The shortage of landfill sites is a serious problem. Mitsubishi has targets of sending no waste to landfills and recycling 98% of unavoidable waste products.

The company has exceeded its targets for cutting emissions of metal scrap and waste casting sand. Emissions in 2006 were 20% less than 2001.

Sands used in casting moulds are reused several times and then recycled in steelmaking and roadbuilding.

Iron phosphate chemical sludge left over from painting is recycled as a material for cement.

Water useage during production has been reduced 5% since 2000.