Accelerated health and safety investments in the Hoboken plant

As part of its multi-year investment program of some € 25 million per annum to continuously improve the environmental and safety performance of the Hoboken recycling plant, various additional actions have been initiated to further reduce diffuse emissions, such as the construction of new and fully covered storage areas for raw materials and the introduction of smart logistics based on real time wind measurements to reduce the risk of dust formation during raw materials handling.

In addition to the above measures, Umicore is creating a green zone on its own site and adjacent to the plant to increase the distance between the residential area and its operations. For the green zone adjacent to the plant, Umicore is in discussions with residents to buy on a voluntary basis the houses which are located closest to the plant. This has resulted in the agreed purchase of close to 100 houses so far. Umicore booked a provision of € 50 million at the end of last year for the creation of the green zone.

Umicore fosters an open dialogue with all its stakeholders to keep them fully informed of its activities, its initiatives and the plant’s environmental results. Umicore is committed to ensuring that the local community and its operations can co-exist sustainably.