Every year, tens of millions of waste home appliances are discarded. For consumers, handing them over marks the end; for the green circular industry, it is only the beginning of a new lifecycle. Drawing on authoritative 2024 global e-waste data, this article analyzes how leading home appliance manufacturers including Haier, Midea and TCL fulfill their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). It reveals the core enabler — Vary Tech — and how its advanced waste appliance recycling and disassembly equipment empowers the billion level circular economy, achieving genuine green intelligent manufacturing.
End or New Start? Data Uncovers the Hidden Fate of Global E-Waste
The industry reality is both challenging and promising. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024 jointly released by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), global e-waste generation reached a record 62 million tonnes in 2022, yet only 22.3% was formally collected and recycled under environmentally sound conditions.
These formally recycled waste appliances are centralized in large-scale treatment centers, where they are converted into recyclable steel, copper, aluminum, plastics and precious metals. The total economic value of metals in global e-waste reached an estimated $91 billion in 2022. Tapping this “urban mine” has become a key resource driving a new wave of manufacturing growth.
Giants Take Action: EPR Compliance by Haier, Midea and TCL
Facing massive e-waste, EPR implementation has become a global consensus. In China, according to the industry white paper released by China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute (CHEARI), the formal treatment of waste electrical and electronic products reached about 94 million units in 2024. Driven by policy and market forces, Haier, Midea, TCL and other leaders have transformed from manufacturers to circular service providers, using digital recycling systems to build a closed loop from collection to treatment.
Reverse Logistics & Record Keeping
Taking Haier Smart Home as an example, its innovative “five-network integration” recycling model formally collected 7.69 million waste appliances nationwide in 2024. Each unit is logged into the ERP system for full-chain visibility and traceability.
Centralized Sorting & Warehousing
Supported by digital platforms, Haier integrates sales and recycling data to intelligently dispatch appliances to treatment plants based on their condition.
Environmentally Friendly & Safe Disassembly (Core Process)
Hazardous substances are extracted, while casings and compressors are crushed and finely sorted, realizing an integrated “collection disassembly regeneration” process.
Resource Regeneration & Data Closed Loop
Disassembled materials re-enter production as recycled feedstock. Carbon reduction and resource conversion data are generated via online systems to complete corporate EPR compliance..
The Core Engine: Vary Tech’s Disassembly Equipment Empowers the Circular Economy
Behind the full digital EPR management of home appliance giants lies powerful physical equipment for actual material conversion. In the most critical step — eco-friendly, large-scale disassembly of waste appliances — Vary Tech acts as an irreplaceable core engine.
As a leading solid waste treatment and resource utilization solution provider, Vary Tech develops high-efficiency disassembly lines tailored for top home appliance manufacturers. Its technologies address industry pain points with three core strengths:
High-Efficiency Crushing & Precision Sorting
Vary Tech’s disassembly lines integrate advanced crushing, magnetic, eddy current and air sorting technologies. They quickly break down complex appliances and achieve industry-leading separation purity for iron, copper, aluminum and plastics, helping enterprises maximize the recovery of that $91 billion metal value.
Vary Tech has cooperated with TCL in waste appliance disassembly for over ten years; its Shantou project processes 5 million units annually.
Fully Enclosed & Zero Pollution
For appliances containing hazardous gases such as air conditioners and refrigerators, Vary’s equipment uses professional negative pressure ventilation and dust removal systems, ensuring no exhaust or liquid leakage and meeting or exceeding strict national environmental standards.
High Automation & Flexible Adaptation (ERP-Compatible)
Vary Tech’s lines are highly flexible and intelligent, adapting to diverse products from Haier, large-scale systems from Midea and specialized appliances from TCL. They greatly reduce labor costs and improve disassembly efficiency and data accuracy.
Vary Tech’s intelligent refrigerator disassembly line for Haier processes 120 units per hour, handling large models such as Casarte. It will also provide core support for Midea’s Green Circular Intelligent Manufacturing Park to achieve an annual target of 3 million waste appliance units.
Latest News：At the upcoming IFAT Munich 2026, Vary Tech will showcase its core “AI + Full-Category Appliance Disassembly Equipment” — marking a leap from traditional mechanization to intelligent identification and precision sorting.
Technology Driven, Toward a Zero-Carbon Circular Future for Home Appliances
“Where do recycled waste appliances go?”
Under EPR regulation, they enter the compliance networks of Haier, Midea, TCL and others. Powered by Vary Tech’s advanced disassembly equipment, they are transformed into high-purity recycled resources driving the green economy.
Going forward, as global e-waste recycling requirements rise, manufacturers’ compliance systems will become stricter. Vary Tech will continue to use technological innovation as a cutting edge to strengthen the infrastructure of the circular economy.
From May 4 to 7, 2026, Vary Tech will present its “AI + Full-Category Appliance Disassembly Equipment” and turnkey system operation services at IFAT Munich 2026 in Germany. Global partners are cordially invited to visit and exchange ideas on new paths of green intelligent manufacturing.
