ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest industrial company in the UAE outside oil and gas and the world’s biggest producer of ‘premium aluminium’, today announced its intention to acquire an 80 percent stake in Italian aluminium recycling company Eco Green.

The acquisition, which remains subject to regulatory approvals, marks the latest milestone in EGA’s global expansion and accelerates the company’s growth in aluminium recycling across Europe.

Eco Green specialises in aluminium scrap collection, sorting and casting, and dross processing, distributing a total of more than 70,000 tonnes per year.

The company’s plant in Villafranca di Verona in northeast Italy collects, sorts and distributes approximately 23,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap annually. A portion of the sorted scrap feeds Eco Green’s nearby facility in Nogara di Verona, which casts more than 20,000 tonnes of secondary sows per year and also processes dross.

Eco Green is advancing an expansion plan in the Nogara di Verona facility that will add 15,000 tonnes per year of recycled aluminium capacity. The project is expected to be completed early in the second half of 2026.

Eco Green serves more than 60 customers across Europe, primarily in the aluminium processing and semi-fabrication industries, with end-users in automotive, construction, and other industrial sectors. The company has also established a strong scrap sourcing network of more than 350 suppliers, ensuring consistent access to high-quality scrap.

Founded by the Scappini family in 1993, Eco Green remains family-led. The company employs 70 people, and its current management team is expected to continue following completion of the transaction.

EGA operates the UAE’s largest aluminium recycling plant in Al Taweelah in Abu Dhabi. EGA has already acquired aluminium recycling facilities in Germany and the United States with expansion projects underway at both sites.

Following completion, the acquisition of Eco Green will bring EGA’s recycling capacity to more than 400,000 tonnes per year across the UAE, Europe and the United States, with an additional 200,000 tonnes of capacity under development in Europe and the US. EGA markets its recycled aluminium globally under the brand RevivAL.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said, “At EGA, we are making rapid progress in building a global aluminium recycling business alongside expanding our primary aluminium production. Post closing, Eco Green will bring EGA reach and expertise in the European aluminium scrap market, making this a significant step forward in supplying the recycling operations we are building across the continent to contribute to Europe’s green future. Eco Green will also add recycled aluminium production in northeast Italy, which we can further develop as part of EGA.”

Luca Scappini, Chief Executive Officer of Eco Green, said, “Becoming part of the world’s largest producer of ‘premium aluminium’ will unlock Eco Green’s growth potential, enabling us to further enhance our plants and expand our scrap supply and customer networks across Europe. EGA is already a major primary aluminium supplier to Europe, and we look forward to contributing to a significant and fast-growing EGA recycling business across the continent.”

Analysts expect global demand for recycled aluminium to double by 2040, accounting for around 60 percent of growth in global aluminium supply between now and 2030, and around 70 percent between 2030 and 2040.

Europe, excluding Russia, is the world’s third-largest recycled aluminium market after the United States and China. Recycled aluminium currently meets around 40 percent of Europe’s total aluminium demand, with industries consuming approximately 4.9 million tonnes in 2025. According to CRU, demand is expected to grow to around 7.2 million tonnes by 2033.

EGA acquired the German specialty foundry Leichtmetall in May 2024. Based in Hannover, EGA Leichtmetall produces high-strength recycled aluminium.

In December, EGA announced a major expansion project that will increase EGA Leichtmetall’s recycling capacity more than six-fold, adding 110,000 tonnes per year of scrap sorting capacity and 153,000 tonnes per year of melting and casting capacity. The project represents an investment of approximately $170 million, with first hot metal expected in 2028.

EGA typically exports over 600,000 tonnes of primary aluminium annually from the UAE to Europe each year, supplying key industries including automotive and construction.

In September 2024, EGA acquired Spectro Alloys, a recycling company in Minnesota in the United States.

EGA Spectro Alloys completed an expansion in July 2025, bringing its total production capacity to 165,000 tonnes per year of recycled aluminium ingots and billets. A second expansion phase, adding a further 35,000 tonnes of billet capacity, is under development, with the first hot metal expected in 2027.

In the UAE, EGA began cast metal production in late February at its new 185,000 tonnes per year aluminium recycling plant at Al Taweelah. The plant is currently shut down as a result of Iranian missile and drone attacks at Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi.

Recycling aluminium requires about 95 percent less energy than producing primary aluminium and generates only a fraction of the associated greenhouse gas emissions.