SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: December 22-26, 2025

December 26, 2025

Gold Near Record High

Gold prices rose to around $4,510 per ounce on Friday, edging closer to an all-time high above $4,525 touched on Wednesday, driven by safe-haven demand amid mounting geopolitical tensions and expectations of US interest rate cuts. Investor focus remains on the ongoing US blockade of crude shipments from Venezuela, continued hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, and a recent military strike by Washington against ISIS in Nigeria. Meanwhile, markets continue to price in two quarter-point rate cuts by the Federal Reserve next year as inflation cools and labor market conditions soften, even as Fed officials remain divided on the path ahead. Bullion has surged more than 70% so far this year, marking its largest annual gain since 1979, with the rally also underpinned by strong central bank buying and sustained ETF inflows. (Source: Trading Economics)

Silver Hits Fresh High

Silver climbed more than 4% to $74.8 per ounce on Friday, advancing for the fifth consecutive session to reach a new high, as investor sentiment remained elevated amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and expectations of further US interest rate cuts. Nine days after US President Trump announced the blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers, concerns over disruptions in global supply have boosted safe-haven demand for the precious metal. The rally has also been supported by substantial central bank purchases and heightened investor concern over currency debasement and rising global debt. Year-to-date, silver has soared roughly 158%, driven by a combination of factors including a structural supply deficit, strong industrial demand, and its recent designation as a US critical mineral. (Source: Trading Economics)

Copper Hits Five-Month Peak

Copper futures advanced more than 3% to around $5.7 per pound in late December, extending gains to a five-month high as global markets reacted to strong demand and supply constraints. The metal continues to benefit from the global energy transition, contributing to its 42% annual gain in New York. Prices were further supported by a recent slump in the US dollar, which made raw materials more affordable for international buyers, while concerns persist over potential US tariff reviews in 2026, raising the risk of supply tightness for global markets. Structural demand for copper remains robust, driven by long-term trends in electric vehicles, renewable energy projects, power grid expansion, and AI infrastructure development, all of which continue to underpin the metal’s outlook alongside short-term market dynamics. (Source: Trading Economics)

SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: December 22-26, 2025

BIOWEG Wins $1.7 Million Grant to Develop Bio-Based Rare Earth Recycling

BIOWEG has secured $1.7 million in public funding to develop a bio-based technology for recovering rare earth elements from waste, as Europe seeks to reduce reliance on concentrated global supply chains, the company said. The grant was awarded by Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIND) and will support a joint project with Technische Universität Berlin to scale a low-energy, water-based recovery platform. Rare earth elements are critical for electric vehicles, wind turbines and electronics, but supply remains dominated by a small number of producers. BIOWEG said the process combines bio-acids derived from industrial waste streams with peptide-based separation technology developed at TU Berlin, avoiding high heat and harsh chemical solvents used in conventional extraction. Chief Executive Prateek Mahalwar said the funding would accelerate commercialization of a circular, waste-to-value approach, while TU Berlin’s Juri Rappsilber said the partnership aims to bridge laboratory research and industrial deployment. (Source: Startup Researcher)

Lecta Unveils Recyclable Flexible Packaging Solution for Frozen Foods

Lecta has expanded its range of metallized papers with Metalvac Ice Cream, a paper said to meet the current technical performance, industrial efficiency and sustainability requirements in the frozen food sector. Intended as a more sustainable alternative to existing laminate solutions on the market, the new paper is available in 123 gsm, offering high-quality printing in offset, flexography and rotogravure on its metallized side. Lecta states that its water-vapor barrier ensures optimal preservation of wafer cones in direct contact with the paper, throughout the supply chain. According to the company, Metalvac Ice Cream is recyclable within the paper and cardboard recycling stream, in accordance with CEPI recyclability standards. Lecta adds that the Metalvac range offers various paper grades with heat-sealability properties and barriers to light, water vapour, oxygen and aroma, as well as resistance to moisture and grease (no PFAS added). The metallized papers are also said to have ‘excellent’ runnability and adaptability to standard packing lines on the market, ensuring efficiency throughout the production process. Apparently, its low aluminum content (0.08 gsm) contributes to achieving high barrier performance without compromising the material’s recyclability within the paper recycling stream. (Source: Packaging Europe)

Prysmian and Versalis Partner to Give New Life to Plastic Cable Scrap

Prysmian and Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, have signed a strategic partnership to give new life to plastic cable scrap, through an innovative chemical recycling process, developing a dedicated supply chain. Following this agreement, Prysmian will collect plastic scrap from its own production as well as from decommissioned cables coming from major customers, while Versalis will use its Hoop® technology at its Mantua plant, Italy, to transform the scrap first into a pyrolysis oil, and then into a new material for new plastic polymers. Prysmian will then use these polymers in the production of new high-performance cables. According to reports, Prysmian expects that about 60% of the XLPE scrap will be able to be repurposed into a reusable material for the production of new cables, thanks to Versalis’s Hoop® chemical recycling technology. For the first time in the cable industry a cross-linked cable with all polymeric layers together can be chemically recycled at scale, thus contributing to the creation of a virtuous circular cycle. (Source: Eni)

The Saica Group Expands Its Recovery Network in Spain with the Acquisition of Part of FCC Ámbito’s Business

The Saica Group has acquired the paper and corrugated board recovery business of FCC Ámbito, a subsidiary of FCC enviro, enabling the company to expand its recovery network in Spain with the addition of the territories of Madrid and the north and west of the peninsula. The transaction was carried out by Saica Natur, the group’s waste management and environmental services division. The main activity of the acquired business consists primarily of the recovery of paper and cardboard and other non-hazardous industrial and commercial waste. Saica thus takes over the activities carried out by this FCC Ámbito business at its plants in Madrid, Cáceres, Valladolid, Asturias, Vizcaya, León, and Toledo. These plants employ more than 150 people and in 2024 their turnover amounted to €33 million. (Source: Saica Group)

Borealis Partners with BlueAlp to Advance Chemical Recycling

Borealis announced a strategic partnership with BlueAlp, a leading chemical recycling technology company headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The partnership will see Borealis transfer its majority share in Renasci, a chemical recycling company based in Ostend, Belgium, to BlueAlp, while acquiring a 10% share in BlueAlp to support its future growth and scale-up.Renasci licensed BlueAlp’s technology to create a 20 kt p.a. scale-up plant, which BlueAlp engineered, constructed, and has supported throughout its operation in recent years. Moving from supporting operations to directly operating the asset is a logical next step in BlueAlp’s growth. This will accelerate technology innovation, establish a robust platform for producing high-quality circular feedstock, and further strengthen BlueAlp’s licensing proposition. (Source: Borealis)

cylib Secures €63.4M Grant Funding to Build LFP Battery Recycling Facility

German battery recycling company cylib has secured a €63.4 million grant from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) to finance the second build-out stage of its Dormagen facility. The funding, awarded through the STARK program, will enable cylib to establish Europe’s first dedicated industrial-scale LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) recycling line, doubling total planned facility capacity to 60,000 tonnes annually—equivalent to 140,000 electric vehicle batteries. The expansion positions cylib as Europe’s first industrial operator capable of processing all major battery chemistries—NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) and LFP—from end-of-life batteries, production scrap, and black mass at scale. The company says that this comprehensive capability directly addresses Europe’s critical dependency on imported battery raw materials, particularly from China, while responding to rapidly shifting market dynamics. (Source: cylib)

First Quantum to Sell Spanish Mine for $190M

First Quantum Minerals agreed to sell the past-producing Cobre Las Cruces copper mine in Spain to an investment fund for up to $190 million to free up cash for other priorities. Global Panduro, an entity controlled by US private equity firm Resource Capital Funds, will acquire Las Cruces to develop a polymetallic primary sulfide project on the site, First Quantum said late Tuesday in a statement. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026. “First Quantum had earlier highlighted that the mine was non-core and stated its intention of monetizing the asset as a measure to support liquidity,” Shane Nagle, a mining analyst at National Bank Financial, said Wednesday in a note. Under the terms of the transaction, Global Panduro will pay $45 million in cash at closing and issue a $65 million loan note to First Quantum. The purchase price also includes about $80 million in deferred payments tied to certain project development milestones, as well as other deferred payments tied to exit and liquidity events. (Source: Mining.com)

SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: December 22-26, 2025

EU Plans Stricter Controls on Plastic Imports to Help Struggling Recyclers

The European Union will introduce stricter rules for imports of plastics, the European Commission said on Tuesday, as it attempts to help European recycling plants that are struggling to compete with cheaper imports. Europe’s plastics-recycling industry has lost more capacity in 2025 than in any previous year, with low-cost plastic imports and high energy costs driving plant closures in countries including the Netherlands, according to industry group Plastics Recyclers Europe. The European Commission, the EU executive body, said it would propose legal changes in the first half of 2026 to require stricter documentation for imports of recycled plastics. Another proposal will create separate customs codes for recycled and virgin plastics, to make it easier to track imports. Other measures will include EU audits of recycling plants, including outside of Europe, and support for laboratories to run control checks on whether shipments of recycled plastic are genuine. Brussels will also consider whether it is necessary to introduce trade measures. An EU import surveillance task force will monitor plastics imports during 2026, the Commission said. (Source: Reuters)

Delhi Government to Introduce New Electric Vehicle Policy to Tackle Pollution

The Delhi government plans to introduce its Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0 from the next financial year, targeting faster EV adoption as part of its efforts to reduce air pollution in the capital, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on December 20. The updated policy will focus on three areas: purchase subsidies, vehicle scrappage incentives, and expanded charging infrastructure. Authorities aim to narrow the cost gap between electric vehicles and petrol- or diesel-powered models, though subsidy levels have not yet been finalized. Under the scrappage program, owners of older, high-emission vehicles will receive financial incentives, with additional benefits for those switching to electric vehicles. Road tax and registration fees for EVs remain waived. The policy also prioritizes battery recycling, citing the average eight-year lifespan of EV batteries and the need for an organized disposal system. To support adoption, Delhi plans to install 5,000 public charging stations by 2030 across markets, parking facilities, and government buildings. (Source: Times of India)

SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: December 22-26, 2025