DEScycle, Mitsubishi Corp. form strategic partnership

DEScycle, a London-based developer of metals processing infrastructure, has entered into a strategic partnership with Japan-based Mitsubishi Corp. (MC) that builds on an investment in the company that Mitsubishi made in 2025.

Under the agreement, the two companies have selected one another as preferred partners for the Japanese market and will work together to develop business opportunities focused on the recovery and processing of metals from electronic scrap, DEScycle says in a news release.

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By combining DEScycle’s proprietary metals processing platform with MC’s industry network, operational and trading capabilities and market expertise, the collaboration aims to advance innovation in e-scrap recycling and support the growth of the circular economy in Japan.

MC will leverage its global trading platform and broad customer relationships to support marketing activities for critical and precious metals recovered using DEScycle’s technology. In addition, MC will apply its investment expertise to explore opportunities for business expansion and future growth.

Photo courtesy of DEScycle

DEScycle’s proprietary ionometallurgy platform, which the company says is based on deep eutectic solvent (DES) chemistry, enables the scaling of new metals recovery infrastructure without the expense of incumbent technology. DEScycle claims its technology is capital-light and requires significantly less energy while having a reduced environmental impact compared with conventional smelting methods.

DEScycle is constructing a demo plant in the U.K., supported by funding from MC, that is intended to inform future deployments as the company scales.

“Partnering with Mitsubishi enables us to explore opportunities to deploy our platform in Japan, which is known for being a global leader in e-waste recycling,” says Fred White, co-founder and chief commercial officer at DEScycle. “Alongside the U.K. and Japan, we aim to expand into the U.S. and Europe, replicating this model through distributed, repeatable deployments, capturing above-ground resources of critical materials and unlocking sovereign supply chains.”

“DEScycle’s technology has great potential in the Japanese market to advance resource circulation and sustainable metals recovery, and we view this partnership as an important step in exploring its application in Japan,” adds MC’ Toshihiko Satomi, senior vice president, general manager, Mineral Resources Group CEO office.