EAST LIBERTY, Ohio - Honda has begun operations of its new Resource Circularity Center, a first-of-its-kind center designed to give new life to retired equipment, office electronics and vehicle service parts that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Located near the Marysville and East Liberty Auto Plants in Ohio, the Honda Resource Circularity Center represents a milestone in the company's global goal to reduce its environmental impact by creating a circular economy business model that maximizes material value and extends the lifecycle of indirect goods.
Going beyond traditional manufacturing recycling programs that focus on direct materials such as scrap metal and plastics used to produce products, the Honda Resource Circularity Center focuses on recycling and repurposing indirect goods – tools, equipment and other items used in operations, including those that support vehicle production.
These include everything from tools like torque wrenches and industrial robots to office chairs and vehicle service replacement parts such as aluminum wheels. Honda aims to recover value from such decommissioned items, helping divert waste from landfills and lower reliance on virgin raw materials.
Matt Daniel, director of Procurement Sustainability, American Honda Motor, said, "A circular economy isn't just about recycling; it's about how Honda can meet as many human needs as possible from a given resource, for as long as we can, until it can no longer serve a viable purpose. The Honda Resource Circularity Center reimagines the current linear model of buying, producing and disposing into a circular value model that recaptures value and reduces waste at every turn."
Extending the Lifecycle of Equipment and Auto Parts
The Honda Resource Circularity Center seeks to extend the lifecycle of indirect goods through internal asset redeployment, external sale, donation, and if necessary, disassembly for raw material recovery.
In addition to dismantling and recycling obsolete components, the Honda Resource Circularity Center prioritizes reuse by first identifying opportunities to repurpose the decommissioned equipment and spare parts at other Honda facilities. This approach extends the lifecycle of assets and reduces waste, with remaining usable parts then offered for external sale. End-of-life vehicle service parts are also disassembled and recycled, with the goal of reintegrating the recycled content through Honda's raw material stream to support a closed-loop system.
Building on these efforts, Honda plans to explore additional opportunities across the business, such as donating non-technical goods to nonprofits or even repurposing scrap leather from car seats into luggage tags.
Honda has a long-term vision to expand the Resource Circularity Center business model near additional production facilities in North America, aiming to localize value recovery while reducing both environmental impact and operational costs.
Driving Business Innovation Through Product Resource Circularity
Honda is transitioning to a recycling-oriented business model that maximizes the use of products and parts throughout their entire lifecycle, then recycles them with high efficiency. A key part of this approach is horizontal recycling, which focuses on recovering valuable materials from End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) and repurposing them into new products.
To enable this transformation, Honda is developing a new kind of supply chain called a "circular value chain" that connects everything from material suppliers to recycling partners. The integrated ecosystem not only reduces waste but also enhances resource efficiency across the entire value stream..
