Reconomy acquires Ecosurety’s WEEE and batteries compliance schemes
Reconomy, through its specialist brand Valpak, has acquired Ecosurety’s WEEE and Batteries Compliance schemes, adding to the company’s existing compliance capabilities.
Reconomy, a provider of outsourced waste management, recycling services and – through Valpak – environmental compliance, has today announced that it has acquired Ecosurety’s UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Batteries Compliance Schemes.
The deal sees the business expand its waste electrics and batteries compliance activity in the UK with Ecosurety’s schemes, which cover over 1,000 customers including high-profile firms such as Virgin Media and Morrisons. Valpak's services have also been expanded, with manufacturers and distributors incorporated into their current operations.
Shaw & Co, a Bristol-based firm, offered corporate finance guidance to Ecosurety in the deal. Rob Starr, Partner – M&A at Shaw & Co, said: “This deal has resulted in an excellent outcome for both sides.
“While it has enabled Reconomy to continue its expansion into the UK, Ecosurety can be confident that they have found the ideal buyer to maintain the outstanding levels of service and support enjoyed by partners of its WEEE and Batteries Compliance schemes.”
WEEE and battery compliance schemes
The WEEE scheme enables businesses to report on the weight of waste placed on the market ensuring correct categorisation and accurate data whilst also providing funding for a portion of the expenses related to the collection, treatment, and retrieval of the waste in cases where it surpasses the five-tonne threshold.
The batteries scheme supports both small and large producers of batteries to report the weight of batteries placed on the UK market, helping producers finance the collection, treatment and recovery of batteries proportionate to UK recycling targets.
The Scheme also assists battery distributors who sell more than 32kg of portable batteries to end users annually by facilitating the free collection of waste portable batteries and informing end users about the take-back service when making a purchase.
There are currently five registered compliance schemes operating on behalf of all large producers – those that produce more than one tonne – of batteries in the UK: Ecosurety, Valpak, Repic, ERP and BatteryBack.
Shared mission
Steve Gough, CEO of Valpak by Reconomy, commented: “Reducing the environmental impact of waste electricals and batteries is core to our mission and we are delighted to strengthen our capabilities and welcome our new customers.
“Bolstering our proposition in this way supports our growth strategy as we deliver against Reconomy’s goal to enable the circular economy by becoming the leading international player for environmental compliance.”
Ecosurety will continue operating through its data and packaging arms. Will Ghali, CEO of Ecosurety, said: “Ecosurety is on a mission to accelerate change towards an environmentally sustainable world. By divesting from less strategic areas, we will be able to invest further in developing our data services and infrastructure associated with Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
“We are excited to expand our support to our growing packaging producer member base and to focus on packaging sustainability where we can make the biggest impact.”
