Japanese firms join forces to develop recycling ecosystem for zirconia waste

Four Japanese companies—Shofu Inc., Tosoh Corp., Mitsui Chemicals, and Orbray—have launched a joint verification project to recycle zirconia waste generated during the milling of dental prosthetics, aiming for practical application by fiscal 2028. The initiative targets recovery and reuse of zirconia, a key dental material, to reduce waste from dental lab machining and build a sustainable recycling ecosystem.

What technical or logistical hurdles do you think will be most challenging in scaling zirconia recycling from dental labs, and how could this model be adapted to other specialty ceramics?