Mitsubishi Electric: How we drive sustainability in HVAC Recycling
Discover how we’ve helped Mitsubishi Electric drive real change in the built environment through our innovative recycling programme, from the arrival of an end-of-life unit at the depot to the recovery and re-use of valuable materials.
The challenge
As a leading innovator in energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), Mitsubishi Electric is deeply committed to delivering sustainable solutions across their product life cycles. However, managing the end-of-life disposal of commercial and domestic HVAC equipment posed a growing environmental and logistical challenge, especially when it came to:
- Ensuring legal and environmental compliance for refrigerant gas disposal.
- Maximising resource recovery from complex equipment.
- Reducing landfill contributions and environmental impact.
- Needing a reliable partner with capacity, transparency, and technical excellence.
Mitsubishi Electric were looking for a circular solution, one that would not just dispose of the HVAC waste, but transform it, supporting their net zero ambitions and sustainability commitments.
The solution
Enva, one of the UK and Ireland’s leading recycling and resource recovery providers, offered a full-spectrum e-waste solution tailored to Mitsubishi Electric’s HVAC systems.
Enva’s specialist capabilities included:
- End-to-end collection and logistics, using a national fleet equipped for secure transportation of HVAC units.
- Fridge and HVAC dismantling, with full separation of metals, plastics, and critical components.
- Safe refrigerant gas recovery and destruction, via Enva’s £1m investment in the Gas Energy Recovery Incinerator (GERI), which meets the highest environmental compliance standards.
- Reuse and repair potential assessed for suitable units, minimising waste at the source.
- Full compliance tracking and transparent reporting, supporting
Mitsubishi Electric’s ESG reporting and environmental auditing.
This partnership turned complex waste streams into new opportunities for value recovery and environmental stewardship.
The impact
Through Enva’s specialist infrastructure and innovation:
- 100% of refrigerant gases were safely destroyed, eliminating environmental risk and achieving legal compliance.
- Fridge and HVAC components were recovered for reuse or recycling, supporting a true circular economy.
- 50,000-60,000 items annually are processed by Enva for reuse, helping reduce demand for virgin materials.
- Mitsubishi Electric significantly reduced their carbon footprint while enhancing traceability and compliance.
- The collaboration sets a benchmark for closed-loop recovery in the HVAC and electronics sectors.
Enva worked in partnership with Mitsubishi Electric to help them move beyond waste disposal to responsible resource management – supporting sustainability targets, delivering environmental value, and powering circular innovation in HVAC.