ReNet Japan Group Inc. (ReNet Japan), which operates a collection business for used small electronic appliances, announced on October 19, 2026 that it will enter into capital and business alliances with three companies: JX Metals Circular Solutions Corporation (JX Metals CS), SG Holdings Co., Ltd. (SGHD), and US-based PCS Wireless, LLC (PCS). With JX Metals CS and SGHD, ReNet Japan aims to jointly build a “collection platform” that integrates collection, logistics, and material recovery, creating a system to circulate used products as domestic recycled resources. With PCS, the company will collaborate on reusing secondhand devices and recovering materials from devices unsuitable for reuse.
Under the collection platform, used small appliances, personal computers, smartphones, and products containing lithium-ion batteries will be collected from businesses and households for material recovery and processing into raw materials. JX Metals CS, jointly owned by JX Metals Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation, plans to invest ¥350 million, while SGHD, whose group includes parcel delivery company Sagawa Express, will invest approximately ¥290 million. ReNet Japan will allocate ¥650 million of the funds raised to building the collection platform, including developing collection sites, implementing safety measures, and system development.
ReNet Japan states that expanding the circular economy requires not only improved material recovery technology but also a reliable nationwide collection system that serves as the entry point for used products. JX Metals also pointed out the importance of properly linking each stage—from collection to disassembly and sorting, pretreatment, and smelting/material recovery—according to the characteristics of recycled raw materials, while tracking information throughout the processing stages.
ReNet Japan, a certified operator under the Small Appliance Recycling Act (a law promoting the collection and recycling of used small electronic devices), has worked with Sagawa Express since July 2014 to offer a parcel delivery-based collection service for used small appliances. In addition to partnership agreements with more than 770 municipalities nationwide, the company has expanded its collection infrastructure through collaborations with manufacturers, retailers, and e-commerce operators, growing its collection volume of used personal computers to the largest scale in Japan. ReNet Japan also handles the disassembly and sorting of collected small appliances.
Under the alliance, ReNet Japan will serve as the “collection portal” and entry point for the platform, leveraging its parcel-based collection system, municipal network, and marketing and IT infrastructure to plan, build, and operate the collection platform while expanding collection volumes. SGHD will draw on its group’s nationwide logistics network, sales infrastructure, and parcel collection expertise to build and upgrade logistics within the waste and recycling industry. The JX Metals Group applies the technology and expertise it has developed through its copper smelting business to recover copper and rare metals from discarded circuit boards and used lithium-ion batteries. JX Metals CS will use its analysis, smelting, refining, and material-processing technologies, facilities, and expertise to efficiently recover materials—based on the characteristics of each raw material—from discarded circuit boards, used lithium-ion batteries, and other materials obtained from the small appliances that ReNet Japan collects and disassembles.
According to SGHD, the companies plan to expand the scope beyond household-derived small appliances to include used products from businesses, aiming to increase collection volumes, target items, users, and collection channels. They will first focus on the collection and material recovery of small appliances from corporate sources, then consider expanding the range of target items and collection methods.
PCS, a US-based company that operates secondary markets for smartphones and tablets in 85 countries worldwide, will invest ¥1.5 billion in ReNet Japan. ReNet Japan aims to strengthen its procurement of used smartphones and other devices through PCS’s sourcing network, inspecting and repairing them for sale as certified refurbished products, thereby expanding domestic sales. By returning these devices to circulation as products, the company says it will extend their usable lifespan. The companies also outlined a plan in which devices sourced by PCS that are unsuitable for reuse due to malfunction or other issues would be imported into Japan and recovered for materials through the JX Metals Group. Imports will proceed only after confirming legal compliance based on regulations applicable to the specific items and countries involved.
ReNet Japan states that it will expand its collection volumes and range of target items, connecting valuable resources contained in everyday used products to domestic manufacturing.
【Reference】Capital and Business Alliances with Three Industry Leaders and Future Growth Strategy｜ReNet Japan Group Inc.
【Press release】On the Capital and Business Alliance with a JX Metals Group Company and SG Holdings, Which Includes Sagawa Express｜ReNet Japan Group Inc. (PR TIMES)
【Press release】SG Holdings and ReNet Japan Enter into Capital and Business Alliance｜SG Holdings
【Press release】On the Capital and Business Alliance with ReNet Japan Group Inc.—Strengthening Collaboration to Promote Domestic Resource Circulation—｜JX Metals
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