Kuusakoski invests € 25 million to meet increasing demand in pure recycled metal products
09.02.2023Recycling pioneer Kuusakoski invests € 25 million in a major new production line that is being built at the company’s recycling plant in Heinola/Finland, to meet higher demand.
Aluminium ingots
© Kuusakoski
Demand for recycled raw materials is growing. During this decade, for example, the production of recycled aluminium will, for the first time, exceed that of primary aluminium. The use of recycled aluminium saves 95 % of energy compared to the energy used to produce virgin aluminium.
Kuusakoski is the only producer of recycled aluminium in Finland. In 2022, Kuusakoski supplied its customers with the equivalent of all the aluminium needed for 2000 new passenger aircraft. The company is now investing in a major new production line. The aim is to increase the recycling efficiency and the processing capacity for non-ferrous metals, including aluminium. The investment is worth € 25 million. "We have been engaged in a determined and extensive development effort focused on metal separation and waste fractions for several years. Now we have finally reached the implementation phase", says Mikko Kuusilehto, President and CEO.
Casting aluminium
© Kuusakoski
Green transition a driver for change
Kuusakoski’s processing capability already enables highly efficient recovery of metals from waste streams back into raw materials. With the new investment, the company will be able to process more material with even higher recovery rates. The company anticipates an increase in demand for all recycled metals. "Nordic companies are investing heavily in the green transition, and today all discussions with our customers relate in one way or another to opportunities to build a more sustainable value chain using recycled raw materials", says Mikko Kuusilehto. "When this project is completed, our total non-ferrous metal processing capacity will increase by 50 %. The investment will enable us to provide larger volumes of high purity recycled raw materials to the manufacturing industry."
Part of the green investment program
The overall investment in non-ferrous metals processing is scheduled for completion in 2025. This investment is part of Kuusakoski´s multi-year green investment program.
Did you know?
· Kuusakoski’s recycling factory in Heinola is the largest integrated recycling plant in the Northern Europe, and it operates on 25 hectares area.
· Non-ferrous recycled raw materials include copper, zinc, lead and aluminium, as well as brass, bronze and stainless steel.
· Our non-ferrous metals come, for example, from recycled vehicles, electrical and electronic equipment, and household metal waste streams.
