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Press Release

Aurubis builds recycling plant in the US and sets its sights on sustainable growth

Hamburg | Wednesday, November 10, 2021

3D visualization of the future site in the US

  • First secondary smelter for multimetal recycling in the United States to be built in Augusta (Richmond County), Georgia
  • Construction to start in summer 2022, commissioning planned for first half of 2024
  • Aurubis investing about € 300 million; capacity for processing up to 90,000 t of complex recycling materials
  • Annual contribution to earnings of approx. € 80 million EBITDA starting fiscal year 2025/26
  • State-of-the-art plant is a clear affirmation of the circular economy and the goal of carbon neutrality

Aurubis will directly create more than 100 jobs in the region with this investment. At the signing a memorandum of understanding with the relevant US governmental authorities (from left to right): Pat Wilson, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis AG

Tapping a new market in multimetal recycling in the US

A rising sustainability awareness and a significant increase in collection volumes lead to about 6 million t of recyclable, metal-bearing materials in the US annually. Currently, most of these recycling materials are exported to Asia for reprocessing. According to expert estimates, the recycling volume in North America will increase by an average of 5 % annually in the next several years. Aurubis views this as an excellent opportunity to invest in a fast-growing environment and to recycle the valuable materials directly in the US in the future.

Within the context of its support for the European Green Deal and the plans of the American Green New Deal, Aurubis’ objective is for its production to be carbon-neutral well before 2050. Furthermore, Aurubis considers itself a provider of solutions for ecologically sustainable business activity to accelerate decarbonization.

The recycling technology in the new plant enables complex metal-bearing recycling materials to be processed and returned to the material cycle. As a result, the investment supports the conservation of natural resources and Aurubis’ efforts to utilize higher quantities of complex secondary raw materials in addition to copper raw materials.

Aurubis’ metals are crucial for global megatrends in particular, such as digitalization, renewable energies, electric vehicles, and battery recycling.

 

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