Hoboken (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Umicore is investing €400M to upgrade its Hoboken plant by 2030, improving fine dust collection and refining 18 metals. Spokesperson Marjolijn Scheers says the job impact is unclear.
Umicore is investing €400 million to improve its Hoboken, Antwerp, Belgium facility by 2030. According to the officials, this upgrade will help them collect even more fine dust, making the air cleaner around the plant.
They said that it would also enable them to treat more metals, from 17 to 18 varieties, and speed up the entire refining process. All this is part of their strategy dubbed “Umicore 2030 – RISE,” where they’re spending billions of euros recycling batteries and boosting materials technology. They’re trying to meet the growing need for sustainable metal recovery.
Will Umicore’s €400M Hoboken investment create new jobs?
According to the officials, Umicore’s Hoboken facility is a big employer in the area, with around 1,600 people working there. The plant is important for the company’s global recycling and refining business, processing many different materials to get valuable metals.
“It is too early to say, ”
Says Scheers.
“Of course it does offer perspective for the site.”
According to Umicore’s spokesperson, Marjolijn Scheers, it’s too early to tell how the investment will affect jobs. The project is big for the Hoboken facility, but the company hasn’t said anything about creating new jobs yet.
He mentioned that it will help the plant stay ahead in sustainable metal recovery and keep supporting the local economy. Umicore handles a wide range of materials, like old cell phones and electronic waste. Umicore is focused on being environmentally responsible and efficient. They spend about €25 million each year to make their operations safer and reduce pollution.
They’ve done things like building covered storage areas for materials and using wind information to keep dust from spreading. They’ve also bought nearby houses to create a green space between their plant and the community. Officials mentioned that Umicore wants to balance its industrial work with sustainability and the well-being of the people who live near it.
