Waste

Metal recycling: SUEZ continues its international development with €200 million of contracts won in 2021

Boone Comenor Metalimpex, a joint venture between SUEZ and Renault (67% and 33% respectively), continues its international development, focusing particularly on industrial stakeholders whose activities produce waste from new metal, which can be recycled and incorporated into the manufacture of new parts. Boone Comenor Metalimpex can integrate into its industry clients’ production processes by operating in situ, supporting them with the management and recycling of their scrap metal waste.
In 2021, Boone Comenor Metalimpex won around a dozen flagship contracts worth almost €200 million in total turnover, with over 330,000 tons of metal recycled, the majority abroad (including in Brazil, China, India, and Eastern and Southern Europe). For example, in Brazil, two new 3-year contracts have just been signed: the first with Liebherr Brasil, a manufacturer of machinery (diggers, loaders, cranes and lorries), to recycle 11,000 tons of metal per year, and in January, a second contract with Liebherr Aero Space, a company that specialises in manufacturing products for the aeronautical and wind energy market, to manage 800 tons of metal per year. These successes demonstrate Boone Comenor Metalimpex’s desire to expand its market share in the industrial metal recycling sector, moving beyond its historical position in the automotive industry.

Against the current backdrop of raw material shortages and climate change, metal recycling is an essential component of the circular economy and results in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. In 2021, Boone Comenor Metalimpex recycled over 1.8 million tons of scrap metal, primarily via the steelmaking industry, and the company’s activities in France and abroad have prevented the release of more than 1,955,000 Teq of CO2. In addition, to reduce its clients’ CO2 emissions, Boone Comenor Metalimpex prioritises alternative methods of transport, such as river, sea or railway transport, wherever the location of its operations allows. For example, at its Marquette-lez-Lille site in France’s Nord department, Boone Comenor Metalimpex loads around 2 barges per month, taking the equivalent of 500 lorries off the road each year.

Boone Comenor Metalimpex’s activities are fully in line with the SUEZ Group’s climate goals, in which preserving natural resources and reducing CO2 emissions play a central role.

Key figures on Boone Comenor Metalimpex:
  • 570 employees
  • 1.8 million tons of scrap metal recycled in 2021
  • Present in 15 countries: France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Morocco, Brazil, China and India.
  • Almost 2 million Teq CO2 emissions prevented in 2021