Electrocycling GmbH
In the early nineties, the Preussag AG Metall started a R&D-project on the processing of electronic waste based on its comprehensive technical knowledge from techniques used in the mining industry. Right from the start, the recovery of raw materials contained in the product flow was just as important as the removal of hazardous components. At that time, old electronic devices were disposed on landfill sites even though they contain a reasonably higher degree of metal than many profitable ores, as pre-studies have shown. In 1994 it was decided to build a facility after the process development had successfully been finished. Two companies, Electrocycling Anlagen GmbH (owner of the facility) and Electrocycling GmbH (operator of the facility), were founded by Deutsche Bundespost Telekom, Siemens AG, Alcatel SELAG, and Noell GmbH to build and run the facility. On a site for industrial purposes nearby the city of Goslar, the facility was erected and started operating in August, 1995.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Technology
- Industry Type:
- Material Recycling
- Market Focus:
- Internationally (various countries)
- Year Founded:
- 1994
About Us
We resolutely oppose these abuses in order to uphold human rights and thus set an example for our employees and our customers at home and abroad.
Our corporate culture is characterised by open, free and equal treatment of all employees, business partners and other persons. You can view our complete Code of Conduct here:
In times when natural resources and thus vital raw materials are becoming scarcer, it is important to find an alternative that is in no way inferior to them in terms of quality.
We at Electrocycling are committed to making exactly this possible. With our activities in the field of processing old electrical equipment and extracting secondary raw materials, such as copper, iron and aluminium, plastics, glass and precious metals, we would like to make a contribution to the manufacture of sustainable products and the conservation of natural resources. Our claim is to actively support the global task of sustainability by promoting the circular economy.
Today, recycling 25 tonnes of old electrical appliances alone saves the mining of 300 tonnes of ore to recover about one tonne of copper, 10 tonnes of iron and a few grammes of gold!
In the preliminary stages, we offer manufacturers advice on the development of new products with regard to environmental compatibility and recycling-friendly design in order to achieve optimum recyclability during disposal.
Taking into account all ecological framework conditions, our environmentally friendly secondary raw material recovery saves money and, above all, secures primary raw materials. You can find out more about our approach in the Distribution section. In addition, you can take a look at the Values section to know how we actively support the topics of climate protection and sustainability.
We do this by returning the metals and plastics we recover through recycling to the economic cycle so that they can be used for the production of new products.
In this way, we shorten transport distances compared to sourcing natural resources that often do not occur in Germany, save fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the associated lower CO2emissions.
Secondary metal extraction plays an important role in reducing CO2emissions, as it can save significant amounts of CO2 compared to primary extraction. For example, using one tonne of steel scrap saves slightly more than 1.5 times this amount of CO2. In the area of secondary aluminium, the saving is about 9 tonnes, and in the area of the use of copper from secondary recovery, an even higher saving of CO2 can be achieved.
Furthermore, Electrocycling maintains an energy management system in accordance with ISO DIN 50001 in order to be able to internally identify potential savings in energy consumption in any form and to react accordingly. We also aim to use energy more efficiently.
As far as possible, we try to save energy and use it sensibly. In this context, we have already been able to achieve some successes internally.
This process has been constantly optimised and adapted to changing WEEE. Electrocycling has now recycled over one million tonnes of WEEE at its plant.