The French waste recycling company Derichebourg has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the authorized capital of the German Scholz Recycling Group, Kallanish notes.
This strategic acquisition continues Derichebourg's international growth and strategy to secure a leading position in the global metal waste recycling industry.
According to the French company, it will also expand the scale of operations by integrating a network of more than 100 recycling centers, including 180 joint ventures located in countries where the group does little business.
This acquisition will also support the decarbonization process of the steel industry in Europe to meet the growing demand from European steel producers, who are replacing their traditional blast furnaces with electric arc furnaces that consume large amounts of high-quality scrap metal. This will optimize operational efficiency through additional logistics and commercial operations across Europe.
The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026. The project will be fully funded by Derishburg's available funds and credit lines, as well as an interim loan provided by BNP Paribas.
"This project will be a key step in our international expansion strategy," says Abderaman El Aufir, Executive Director of Derichebourg. "We were able to quickly take advantage of a difficult market situation thanks to a solid balance sheet and our vision for the industry."
Derichebourg Group is a major international operator in the field of waste recycling, mainly metal, and the provision of services in the public sector. Currently, the group of companies operates in 13 countries and employs 5,393 people worldwide. In 2025, Derichebourg's revenue amounted to 3.3 billion euros ($3.85 billion).
Founded in 1872, Scholz is one of the leading European metal recycling companies. With a turnover of 1.6 billion euros in 2025, the group has a long-standing industrial presence in Germany, as well as in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and through joint ventures in Austria and Romania. In 2025, Scholz sold more than 3 million tons of recycled ferrous and non-ferrous metals, paper, cardboard and plastics.
Author: Svyatoslav Abrosimov
Kallanish.com
