【Special Issues: Examination of the Optimal State of a Recycling System and Technology】
Study of the Lease/Rental System Application with regard to a Recycling-based Society
Yasuhiro Arai* and Fuminobu Tezuka**
* Department of Civil Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University
** Mechanical Systems Laboratory, Corporate Research & Development Center,
TOSHIBA Corporation.
† Correspondence should be addressed to Yasuhiro Arai:
Department of Civil Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo
（1-1 Minamiosawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397 Japan）


Abstract
Through a take-back recycling system that targets “products” such as automobiles and household electrical appliances product wastes WG are creating new possibilities for the realization of a so-called Recycling-based Society. Using the Lease/Rental System established since Fiscal Year 2002, we have been able to examine the possibilities created by the Product Circulation-loop program. The paper introduces this using a case study of the Lease/Rental System for home electronics we undertook to survey means for satisfying both social demands and material circulation, and outlines a recommended paradigm shift that emphasizes concepts such as “service by a product” and “from possession toward function.”


Key words: recycling-based society, recycling system, product waste, lease or rental system, service, possession