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Sanyo first to sign PV cycle participation contract

Sanyo Component Europe has announced that it is the first manufacturer to sign a binding participation agreement with PV CYCLE, an organization aimed to establish a structure for recycling of PV modules.

Sanyo commits to recycling.Photo: Sanyo

Sanyo has signed the contract with PV CYCLE, making it the first company to make a commitment with the organization for common collection and recycling of end of life photovoltaic modules. The organization has 107 members currently and represents a total of 85 percent of the European photovoltaics market. The contract that has been signed by Sanyo binds the company to contribute a share in order to finance the scheme. This allows for reliable funding of the collection process as well as recycling operations.Europe-wide, there are about 5000 tons of scrap iron from modules and the tendency is that this number will rise. The reprocessing is still in the early stages of development and relatively expensive.

PV CYCLE was founded in 2007 to implement the photovoltaic industry's commitment towards a voluntary recycling programme for modules that have reached the end of their life and to ensure social and environmental responsibility throughout the supply chain. According to the organization, through this initiative, the photovoltaic industry hopes to be able to install an overall waste management and recycling policy that can lead the way in achieving the highest economically feasible and environmentally  responsible  collection  and  recycling  of  PV modules.