EMR: ‘Telling our story more clearly’   

European Metal Recycling has unveiled a new brand identity: EMR now stands for Everything Must Recycle.  

The company wants a clearer meaning for the EMR name and the work of more than 4 000 people worldwide turning today’s materials into tomorrow’s products. ‘It reflects how EMR has evolved from its roots in metal recycling into a global materials business, recovering and transforming metals, plastics and other materials for manufacturers around the world,’ it said in a news release.

For more than 70 years, EMR has been finding value in materials that are no longer needed and putting them back to work. They range from steel, aluminium, copper and plastics to cars, buildings, railways, machinery and wind turbines.

‘Recovering those materials, and putting them back to work, will become increasingly important as manufacturers seek to strengthen supply chains, reduce carbon emissions and secure the resources needed for the future,’ the company adds.

Hands-on nature

While the metals recycler will continue to be known simply as EMR, the new identity reflects a business that now operates globally and across a broader range of circular materials.

The identity itself has been inspired by the people who make that work happen every day. ‘From the colours and textures found across EMR’s sites to the practical, hands-on nature of the work itself, the new brand draws directly from the working environment familiar to more than 4 000 colleagues around the world.’

Not a different business  

‘This isn’t about EMR suddenly becoming a different business,’ says group ceo Chris Sheppard. ‘We are proud of the EMR name because it carries more than 70 years of history. The yards, the trucks, the heavy machinery, the ships, our customers and, most importantly, the people who built this business are all part of who we are.’

Sheppard explains the intention is to telling the company story more clearly. ‘Most people see an old car, a demolished building or a redundant piece of machinery and think its useful life has ended. We see steel, aluminium, copper, plastics and other materials that industry will need again.

‘Recovering those materials safely, economically and at scale is difficult work. It takes experience, technology and thousands of people doing their jobs well every day. That is what EMR has been built on.’

Gradual rollout  

The rollout of the new identity will take place gradually across EMR’s global network. Existing equipment, vehicles, containers and site infrastructure will be updated as part of normal replacement and refurbishment programmes rather than simply being discarded to introduce the new identity, the company says.