EGA acquires 80% of Eco Green, adding 70,000T of recycled aluminium capacity

UAE – Emirates Global Aluminium has agreed to acquire an 80 percent stake in Italian recycler Eco Green, lifting its global recycling capacity to more than 400,000 tonnes per year across the UAE, Europe, and the US.

The deal, subject to regulatory approvals, marks the latest step in EGA’s global expansion strategy and is expected to strengthen its access to the European aluminium scrap market.

Founded in 1993 by the Scappini family, Eco Green specialises in scrap collection, sorting, casting, and dross processing, distributing more than 70,000 tonnes of aluminium annually to over 60 customers across Europe.

What the Acquisition Means for Packaging

For the packaging industry, aluminium is a critical material for beverage cans, food containers, tubes, and foil. 

Recycling aluminium requires up to 95 percent less energy than producing primary metal. 

By expanding its recycling footprint, EGA increases the supply of low-carbon, recycled aluminium available to European packaging manufacturers, a key consideration as brand owners face pressure to meet recycled content targets under the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.

Eco Green’s Operational Footprint

Eco Green operates a scrap facility in Villafranca di Verona that handles approximately 23,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap annually, and a nearby plant in Nogara di Verona that produces more than 20,000 tonnes of secondary aluminium sows each year. 

An expansion at the Nogara site is expected to add a further 15,000 tonnes of recycled aluminium capacity by the second half of 2026. 

The company maintains a scrap sourcing network of more than 350 suppliers.

EGA’s Growing Recycling Portfolio

EGA has been expanding its recycling footprint in recent years, including the acquisition of Germany-based Leichtmetall in 2024 and US recycler Spectro Alloys the same year. 

The company typically exports more than 600,000 tonnes of primary aluminium from the UAE to Europe annually. 

Europe is the world’s third-largest recycled aluminium market after the United States and China, with demand projected to grow from about 4.9 million tonnes in 2025 to 7.2 million tonnes by 2033.

When Recycled Metal Shapes Packaging’s Future

A beverage can made from recycled aluminium consumes 95 percent less energy than one from virgin ore. 

EGA’s acquisition of Eco Green is not just about scrap, it is about securing the low-carbon feedstock that packaging manufacturers will need to meet 2030 sustainability targets. 

For European can makers, that supply just got closer and more certain.

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