SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: June 30-July 4, 2025

July 04, 2025

Gold Prices Set for Weekly Rise on US Fiscal Worries

Gold prices rose in Asian trading on Friday after sharp losses in the previous session, and remained on course for a weekly rise on U.S. fiscal deficit worries and Washington’s impending tariff decision. Spot Gold rose 0.5% $3,341.34 an ounce, while Gold Futures for August gained 0.2% to $3,349.52/oz by 00:10 ET (04:10 GMT). Bullion fell nearly 1% on Thursday after a strong U.S. jobs report reduced chances of a Federal Reserve rate cut this month. It was still on track to rise 1.8% this week, after two consecutive weekly declines. (Source: Investing.com)

Copper Set for Weekly Gains; Potential US Tariffs on Metal Eyed

Copper prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were set for a second straight weekly gain on Friday, despite minor fluctuations, while traders looked out for potential U.S. tariffs on copper imports. Three-month copper on the LME added 0.06% to $9,960 per metric ton by 0106 GMT, rising 0.85% so far this week, while the most-traded copper contract on the SHFE eased 0.31% to 80,510 yuan ($11,231.24), gaining 1.02% this week. (Source: Reuters)

HSBC Ups Gold Price Outlook for 2025 and 2026

HSBC has raised its average gold price forecasts for the next two years, citing heightened geopolitical risks and strong investor demand for bullion, as Reuters first reported. The bank now expects gold to average $3,215/oz in 2025 and $3,125/oz in 2026, up from previous estimates of $3,015 and $2,915, respectively. The updated outlook reflects a bullish view on gold’s role as a safe-haven asset amid global uncertainty. Spot gold reached a record high of $3,500.05 an ounce in late April. The metal was trading at $3,348.50 on Wednesday morning. “We anticipate a wide and volatile trading range of $3,600-3,100/oz for the rest of the year and year-end prices of $3,175/oz for 2025 and $3,025/oz for 2026,” the bank said in a note on Tuesday. (Source: Reuters)

Silver Hit a 13-Year High, and Forecasts Say It Could Triple

Silver has reached a significant milestone, surpassing $36 per ounce, marking a 13-year high. This represents a 24.5% increase from its January 2025 level of $28.92. Analysts are optimistic about silver’s potential, with forecasts suggesting the price might climb between $40 to $130 per ounce, and UBS specifically targeting $40. (Source: Guru Focus)

Call2Recycle Launches First Territorial Battery Recycling Program in Yukon, Expanding National Reach

Call2Recycle, Canada’s leading battery collection and recycling organization, is proud to announce the launch of its Recycle Your Batteries, Canada! program in Yukon, beginning July 1, 2025. This marks a significant milestone as Yukon becomes the first Canadian territory to implement an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) battery recycling program in partnership with Call2Recycle. The initiative, overseen by the Government of Yukon, is designed to give residents greater access to safe, convenient, and environmentally responsible options for disposing of used household batteries. The program aligns with Yukon’s commitment to sustainability and circular economy goals, while helping producers meet their regulatory obligations under EPR. (Source: Call2Recycle)

Longi Joins Rafiqui to Promote Solar Panel Recycling in Mexico

This partnership aims to drive the development of infrastructure for solar panel recycling in Mexico, promoting a concrete solution to a pressing industry need and strengthening the commitment of participating entities to sustainability and the circular economy. Currently, Mexico has limited options for recycling photovoltaic modules, which presents a growing challenge for solar system developers, operators, and installers. Through this initiative, Rafiqui and key players in the solar sector aim to advance a responsible and viable alternative that enables a proper end-of-life management for panels, thus minimizing the environmental impact of the industry. LONGi is the first solar module manufacturer directly involved in this effort, taking a leadership role in environmental responsibility. (Source: LONGi)

Lithium Universe Completes Legal Due Diligence for Solar Recycling Tech Acquisition

Lithium Universe Ltd has completed its legal due diligence on a previously announced acquisition of transformative photovoltaic (PV) solar panel recycling technology. The company will now move forward with the acquisition of New Age Minerals Pty Ltd, which holds global commercial rights to the patented Microwave Joule Heating Technology developed at Macquarie University. The company secured the global rights to Macquarie University’s solar recycling tech in mid-June. The acquisition is designed to bolster Lithium Universe’s clean energy portfolio, including exclusive global rights to the novel solar panel recycling technology. The patented Microwave Joule Heating Technology (MJHT) targets the growing challenge of end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) waste by offering a more efficient and environmentally responsible recovery process. MJHT is designed to extract valuable materials such as silver, silicon, gallium and indium from used solar panels. The microwave-based process is positioned as a cleaner, lower-impact alternative to traditional recycling methods, with the potential to support circular economy initiatives in the renewables sector. (Source: Proactive Financial News)

Aurubis Commissions Globally Unique Sample Preparation System

Aurubis AG, a leading global provider of non-ferrous metals and one of the largest copper recyclers worldwide, is commissioning a new innovative and fully automated sample preparation system at its Hamburg site. Equipped to handle up to 20,000 samples per year, the facility is setting new standards in the recycling sector and more than doubles sample preparation capacity at the Aurubis plant. This state-of-the-art facility is a key component in the overall sampling process and plays a central role in ensuring consistently high-quality and efficient material sampling. The new system employs modular technology, allowing it to fully automatically prepare almost all the materials sampled at the site. These include not only electronic scrap but also slags, catalysts, sludges, concentrates and anode slimes. The Hamburg facility offers an unparalleled level of versatility that is currently one of a kind in the global industry. (Source: Aurubis)

Ecobat Completes Sale of Italian Business to Haiki

Ecobat, a global leader in battery recycling, announced the successful completion of the sale of its battery and polypropylene recycling business in Italy to Haiki + S.p.A. The transaction includes Ecobat’s facilities in Marcianise, Paderno Dugnano, and Bologna, and marks Ecobat’s exit from the Italian market. Pirola Corporate Finance acted as financial advisor and ADVANT Nctm acted as legal advisor to Ecobat on the transaction. (Source: Ecobat)

CATL and Partners Break Ground on US$6 Billion Battery Integration Project in Indonesia

Ningbo Contemporary Brunp Lygend Co., Ltd. (CBL), a subsidiary of Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd (Brunp), in partnership with PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (ANTAM) and Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC), officially broke ground on the Indonesia Battery Integration Project at the Karawang New Industry City (KNIC) in Indonesia’s West Java Province. Brunp is a subsidiary of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL). Spanning over 2,000 hectares, the Indonesia Battery Integration Project, with a planned investment of nearly USD 6 billion, covers the full battery value chain including nickel mining and processing, battery materials and battery recycling at the FHT Industrial Park of East Halmahera, North Maluku Province, and battery manufacturing in KNIC and Artha Industrial Hill (AIH) of Karawang, West Java Province. The battery plant in Karawang will deliver an annual capacity of 6.9 GWh in the first phase. By applying CATL’s Lighthouse Factory and Extreme Manufacturing experience, the plant will ensure efficient production of high-quality battery cells and modules to accelerate e-mobility and energy transition efforts in Indonesia and the world. (Source: PR Newswire)

Zijin Mining to Acquire Kazakh Gold Mine in $1.2B Deal

China’s biggest gold and copper producer, Zijin Mining, said on Monday it had agreed to buy one of the largest gold mines of Kazakhstan, the Raygorodok gold mine, for $1.2 billion. Zijin said its unit Zijin Gold International and Jinha Mining, a subsidiary of Zijin Gold, had inked a deal to acquire the rights of RG Gold LLP and RG Processing LLP, the Kazakhstan-based gold mining firms that currently own and operate the Raygorodok gold mine. The gold mine comprises the mine assets held by RGG and the processing plant assets held by RGP, Zijin said in a statement. The timing of the deal aligns with a surge in global gold prices amid ongoing uncertainty around US-China trade tensions. Earlier in April, Zijin laid out its intention to spin off its unit, Zijin Gold International, and list it in Hong Kong as part of a reorganization of its overseas gold assets. (Source: Reuters )

Oregon Launches ‘Recycling Modernization Act’

Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, which takes effect Tuesday, is the first “producer responsibility” law for packaging and paper products to go online in the United States. The new law, first passed by the Oregon legislature in 2021, seeks to improve the recycling system by: Creating a uniform list of what can be recycled statewide; Expanding recycling service to more Oregonians; Bringing more transparency and accountability to where recyclables end up to ensure that they are recycled responsibly; Implementing a shared responsibility model where producers of packaging and paper products bear some of the costs of the waste management system; Requiring producers to pay an annual fee that goes to waste prevention and reuse projects across the state. To date, seven states have passed similar producer responsibility laws for packaging. Oregon’s program is the first to launch. (Source: Environment America)

Coal Used to Make Steel Gets Break in Trump’s Tax Bill

Coal used to make steel got a break in the latest version of President Donald Trump’s tax bill, a subsidy that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars over 10 years for a fuel that is mostly exported to countries including China. In April, Trump signed executive orders that directed Chris Wright, the energy secretary and former fracking CEO, to determine whether metallurgical, or met, coal is a “critical mineral” which he did in May. In the latest version of Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill that the Senate released over the weekend, met coal can claim an advanced manufacturing production tax credit, available for critical minerals, that would pay 2.5% of costs for the fuel. Sonia Aggarwal, CEO of Energy Innovation, a non-profit group, called allowing met coal to get the credit insane, as it could harm efforts to move to fuels that are less carbon-intensive. (Source: Reuters)

Spain Commits €400M To Renewable Energy Equipment, Recycling

Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has launched a €100 million ($117.3 million) program for eco-design and recycling of renewable energy equipment, alongside offering €300 million ($352 million) in aid for their domestic production. To be shelled out from Spain’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRTR) under the NextGenEU program of the European Commission, the €100 million will be allocated under the RENOCICLA program. Of the total budget for this maiden call for the purpose, €80 million ($94 million) is available as aid for new investments in 2nd life facilities and plants, and the reuse and/or recycling of solar PV panels, lithium batteries, and wind turbine blades. The most advanced projects that improve the processing and recovery of end-of-life renewable energy equipment will be given priority, ensuring reuse and recycling rates between 65% and 85% by weight, depending on the equipment type. (Source: Taiyang News)