All roads will lead
to Ulsan
What started as WEEE Metallica more
than 10 years ago, became Igneo/
EvTerra, was acquired by Korea Zinc,
and has now been brought under a
new subsidiary brand name:
PedalPoint.
In music, a pedal point is a steady bass
note that anchors shifting melodies,
creating harmony amid change. Korea
Zinc, a leader in metals recovery,
embodies this through PedalPoint,
balancing stability with adaptability in
a rapidly evolving industry. ‘As geopo-
litical risks rise and strategic minerals
grow scarce, building a circular econo-
my requires vision and resilience,’ the
company says. ‘True to its name,
PedalPoint stays grounded while
evolving with the market, driving
progress through regional expertise
and responsible innovation.’
The transition to PedalPoint was more
than a name change, according to
Mark Pope, ceo of PedalPoint
Holdings. ‘It was about aligning a
vision. The challenges of e-waste recy-
cling differ by region but the goal is
the same: to maximise resource recov-
ery while minimising environmental
harm. Whether we are operating in
our US, European, Latin American or
Asia Pacific locations and beyond, we
are solving different parts of the same
challenge: making e-waste recovery
more efficient, more transparent and
more responsible.’
RECYCLING, RECYCLING,
RECYCLING
Korea Zinc is transforming its process-
es, particularly in copper production.
While it remains the world’s largest
producer of zinc and lead from con-
centrates which primarily come from
mining, copper production will be
sourced from recycled metals. The
goal is for Korea Zinc’s copper produc-
tion to be 100% recycled: no mining
and no concentrates.
This shift has been marked by strate-
gic acquisitions, including Igneo in
2022, and the development of
EvTerra, a network of six collection
and processing hubs in the US.
However, there is not enough e-waste
globally to meet their copper needs.
To address this, Korea Zinc has PedalPoint is on a global mission to secure printed circuit boards and other e-waste.
H o w K o re a Z i n c ’s g l o b a l e – s c r a p c o l l e c t i o n a n d re c y c l i n g d i v i s i o n
P e d a l P o i n t s e t s t h e s t a n d a rd i n re s o u rc e re c o v e r y
Korea Zinc’s electronics collection and recycling arm PedalPoint, formerly known as Igneo/EvTerra, occupies a
leading role in resource recovery, handling 450 000 tonnes of e-waste and non-ferrous metals per year. This massive
volume would not have been possible without the acquisition in 2024 of scrap metal trading major Kataman, which
is now under the wing of PedalPoint. Growing streams of materials will feed Korea Zinc’s new copper smelter in
Ulsan, Korea, which is set to launch by the end of the year.
A U T H O R Martijn Reintjes P H O T O S PedalPoint, Shutterstock
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