Huelva, November 10, 2025. Macarena Gutiérrez, CEO of Atlantic Copper, participated in the signing ceremony organized by Huelva City Hall to establish the city as the headquarters of the Center for Circular Economy Innovation of Andalusia (CIECA, in its Spanish initials), where she shared information on the progress of the CirCular Project, a pioneering initiative that will transform electrical and electronic waste into new sources of metals essential for the energy and digital transition.

During her presentation, Gutiérrez emphasized that “CirCular reinforces the role of Huelva as a European benchmark in the recovery of essential metals” and stressed that “industry is driving sustainability, innovation and quality employment, promoting a more environmentally friendly economy.” She also wanted to congratulate the administrations involved in having Huelva named as the headquarters of the Center for Circular Economy Innovation of Andalusia: “there can be no doubt that the circular economy is bringing wealth to the region, seeing as it means innovation and cross-cutting actions involving society, public administrations and companies; in addition to training and awareness, resulting in a virtuous circle where waste becomes transformed into raw materials.”

CirCular has been declared strategic by the Junta de Andalucía and the European Commission, recognition that underscores the importance of the initiative for the future of industry in Huelva. Boasting an investment of 450 million euros, the project foresees the creation of approximately 350 direct and derived jobs, in addition to those currently generated in the construction phase, with peaks of 1,200 hires.

The plant, which is part of the Atlantic Copper metallurgical complex, will be the first in Southern Europe able to recover metals such as copper, gold, silver, platinum, palladium, tin, nickel and zinc out of non-ferrous scrap from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). It will have the capacity to process up to 60,000 tons a year, reinforcing the role of the metallurgical company as a European reference in technology recycling.

The CirCular Project was designed under the strictest environmental and energy efficiency standards, a commitment that Atlantic Copper has been working on for the past two decades. Thus, environmental protection equipment has already been installed in the new facilities, occupying over 50% of the plant’s surface area and incorporating cutting-edge technology to ensure the greatest efficiency in gas and waste processing. This technological commitment is part of Atlantic Copper’s strategy of continuous innovation, with the company investing more than 10 million euros a year in research, sustainability and process improvement projects.

In its support for promoting the circular economy, the company is also working on the roll-out of the Bisbee Project. This is research aimed at the recovery of other strategic metals, such as bismuth and antimony. This process is part of the company’s strategy to advance in the comprehensive recovery of resources through process diversification. As Gutiérrez pointed out, “CirCular is part of Atlantic Copper’s broader vision to promote the circular economy, heat recovery, water reuse and the development of new technologies to make the most of resources. It is a firm commitment to the sustainable economy that the company has been developing and which it sees as its future.”