Hitachi Ltd. and IBM Japan Ltd. said Monday they will jointly launch a recycling business for personal computers used by companies.
The move follows the introduction in April 2001 of a law that requires computer makers to voluntarily collect used PCs and reuse parts in new products.
The companies said they hope the joint project, to be launched Monday, will be mutually beneficial as Hitachi has experience in the recycling business while IBM Japan has expertise in reusing parts.
A similar joint recycling business is already being conducted by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Samsung Japan Corp.
The Hitachi-IBM Japan recycling business will deal with PCs, monitors, printers and peripheral equipment, the two firms said.