Umicore

Umicore is a Belgian materials technology and recycling company headquartered in Brussels, a global leader in precious metals recycling and battery materials. It traces its origins to the Union Miniere du Haut Katanga, a Belgian mining company founded in 1906 to exploit copper and cobalt deposits in the Congo Free State, and it transformed over the following century from a colonial-era mining conglomerate into a materials technology company, adopting the Umicore name in 2001 as it exited mining entirely to focus on metals recycling and advanced materials. Umicore today recycles precious and other metals from electronic waste and industrial byproducts, and manufactures cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, alongside automotive catalysts that reduce vehicle emissions. The company has positioned itself as a significant supplier to the growing electric vehicle battery supply chain.