MOLG

Molg is a company that develops circular manufacturing processes for electronics and electrical components. Founded in 2021 by Rob Lawson-Shanks and Mark Lyons, Molg has developed robotic microfactories that can autonomously disassemble complex electronic products like laptops, servers, and industrial electronics. These two-meter cube microfactories use robotic arms to precisely harvest recyclable components from devices, maximizing the potential for reuse, remanufacturing, or recycling of valuable materials.

The company's technology aims to address the significant issue of electronic waste, with only 22.3% of e-waste being recycled as of 2022. Molg's approach combines robotics and design software to ensure that one product's end becomes another's new beginning. Their process not only reduces environmental impact but also strengthens supply chains by enabling local recovery of critical minerals and precious metals that are often left unrecovered in discarded electronics.

In addition to its disassembly technology, Molg works with manufacturers to design electronics with circularity in mind from the outset. The company has developed proprietary software that generates and places computable, bi-directional assembly methods into products, focusing on modular connections that facilitate easier disassembly. This design-for-circularity approach aims to reduce the use of screws and adhesives in favor of more easily separable components.

Molg has also created OriginMark, an open standard for device, component, and material traceability. This system enables detailed tracking throughout the product lifecycle, from manufacturing to de-manufacturing, allowing companies to compute valuable data such as total materials, processes, or embodied carbon at various scales.

Key customers and partnerships

Molg has already installed robotic disassembly microfactories at Sims lifecycle Services and is rolling out to IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) facilities of leading hyperscalers. The company works on circular design with prominent companies such as HP, Dell, and ABB Robotics & Automation Ventures to redesign products for automated recovery of valuable components, remanufacturing, and recycling.

In October 2024, ABB Robotics announced a collaboration with Molg to create robotic microfactories specifically for recovering and recycling disused electronic equipment from data center operators. This partnership aims to address the projected rise in global e-waste, expected to reach 75 million tons by 2030.