Veolia Acquires Large French Metals Recycler

Veolia Environmental Services has agreed to acquire the Bartin Recycling Group, the third largest metals recycling firm in France.

The Bartin Recycling Group specializes in the collection and recycling of industrial waste, in particular ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The company processed around 780,000 of scrap last year. Bartin reported revenue of €249 million (US$365 million) last year.

Denis Gasquet, Veolia’s CEO, said: "This acquisition adds to and strengthens our capabilities and capacities in the recycling of metals at a time when these raw materials are of growing importance in tense international markets. It’s an important step in the roll-out of our strategy, and will help us continue to support our public and private clients in managing their waste in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner."

Jerome Le Conte, GM, France of Veolia Environmental Services, added: "Given the importance of materials recovery as 50 percent of the world’s steel is now produced from scrap metal, the collection and recycling of metals is becoming a key element in the palette of waste management activities. This acquisition will create excellent synergies and raise the metal recycling capacity of Veolia Environmental Services in France from 250,000 metric tons per year to over 1 million metric tons per year."