M&A: Elemental Holding Acquires E-Waste Recycler, IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) Company

Elemental Holding Group is acquiring Colt Recycling, an e-waste recycler and IT asset disposition (ITAD) company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Related - M&A Database: See all of the sustainable technology buyers, sellers & investors listed here.

Colt Recycling is headquartered in New Hampshire and has a second recycling facility in North Carolina. The company process 80 million pounds of electronics per year, specializing in recovery of precious metals, asset disposition services, and resale for reusable equipment, the buyer said.

Elemental Holding is based in Luxembourg, a small European country bordered by Belgium, France and Germany. The business has expanded to operate across 35 countries in Europe, Asia and North America.

In a prepared statement about the deal, Elemental Holding CEO Paweł Jarski (pictured, top of page) said:  “This acquisition enables us to enter the e-waste recycling market in the US and enter a very fast-growing ITAD segment. With this acquisition, we are expanding our geographic presence in the e-waste segment to the North American market.”

Elemental Holding has extensive M&A (merger and acquisition) experience in North America. Previous acquisitions included Daniel Ball Converter Recycling, PGM of Texas, Maryland Core and Legend Smelting and Recycling.

IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) Research: Market Growth Forecast

Demand for IT asset disposition (ITAD) appears strong. Indeed, annual spending on ITAD is expected to reach $34 billion by 2030, up from $16.8 billion in 2022, according to Research and Markets. That's a 9.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), the researcher said.

Among the key business drivers for ITAD spending: The growing desire to reduce e-waste -- thereby keeping PCs, laptops, smartphones, printers, networking equipment and consumer electronics out of landfills.

Meanwhile, seven ITAD companies are listed in our Sustainability Partner Programs Database. Examples include:

• DMD Systems Recovery;
• HPE Partner Ready Vantage;
• Ingram Micro ITAD and Ingram Micro Lifecycle;
• Iron Mountain Partner Program;
• Sage Sustainable Electronics Partner Program
• ScalePad Lifecycle Manager; and
• Shyft Multi-Vendor Solution, part of TD Synnex

Market Experts, Conferences and Investors

If you're seeking to get started in the ITAD market, key advisors include Todd Zegers, president of Circular Integrity, based in Newport Beach, California. Zegers has worked in and around the e-waste and ITAD markets since 2003 or so. We'll share more about Zegers and Circular Integrity in the weeks ahead.

On the conference front, E-Waste World 2023 is scheduled for late June in Germany. And the IT Asset Disposition Conference 2023 is scheduled for mid-July in Arizona.

Also of note: Key investors in the e-waste market include the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund -- which backs Circular Services, a startup that's building and expanding recycling infrastructure across the United States.