SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: October 13-17, 2025

October 17, 2025

Gold Poised for Strong Weekly Gain

Gold prices hovered around $4,320 per ounce on Friday, remaining near record levels and on track for a sharp weekly advance, the strongest in the current nine-week rally, as investors sought safety amid heightened economic uncertainties. The bullion repeatedly hit new highs earlier this week, driven by renewed US–China trade tensions and concerns over the ongoing US government shutdown. The latest trade developments saw China accuse the US of stirring “panic” over its rare earth mineral controls, but signaled willingness to hold trade talks. The non-yielding metal’s appeal was further supported by rising expectations of US rate cuts, after Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s recent remarks pointed to signs of a weakening labor market, leading investors to nearly fully price in a 25 bps cut at this month’s meeting, with another likely in December. Gold has now surged more than 60% so far this year, bolstered by central bank purchases, ETF inflows, and strong demand for safe assets. (Source: Trading Economics)

Silver Price Forecast: XAG/USD Remains Close to $54.50 Near Record Highs

Silver price (XAG/USD) extends its three-day rally, trading around $54.30 per troy ounce during the Asian hours on Friday. The price of the grey metal remains close to the record high of $54.86, reached in the previous session amid increased safe-haven demand. The market sentiment turned cautious following the disclosures from two US regional banks, Zions Bancorporation and Western Alliance, about troubled loans. Silver price surged amid a historic squeeze in London, where dwindling liquidity has triggered a global scramble for the metal. Strong demand from India has further tightened supply, prompting several mutual fund houses to suspend inflows into their Silver ETF fund-of-fund schemes. (Source: FXStreet)

Metals Veteran Sees $12,000 Copper Price This Year

One of the metals industry’s best-known traders is adding his voice to a chorus of bullish copper forecasts, predicting that prices could hit records near $12,000 before the end of the year. Kenny Ives, chief commercial officer at Chinese copper and cobalt producer CMOC Group and CEO of its trading arm IXM, sees benchmark copper prices on the London Metal Exchange likely ending the year close to $11,000 or even $12,000 a ton, he said during the LME Week summit in London on Tuesday. He told Bloomberg News that he’s “nice and bullish” on the metal. Copper has surged toward all-time highs after supply concerns were exacerbated by a wave of accidents and disruptions that have squeezed output at major mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chile and Indonesia. The rally cooled after US President Donald Trump floated an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods on Friday, but prices are still just roughly $600 shy of a record above $11,100 a ton that was almost broken last week. (Source: Bloomberg News)

SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: October 13-17, 2025

Northstar Recycling Acquires Waste Technology Services

Northstar Recycling Company, LLC (“Northstar”), a national leader in sustainability-oriented managed waste and recycling solutions, announced the acquisition of Waste Technology Services, LLC (“WTS”). WTS is an asset-light provider of responsible byproduct and waste management services and related environmental consulting solutions. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Lewiston, New York, WTS serves the specialty chemical, pharmaceutical, high technology, and diversified industrial end markets with comprehensive solutions to sustainably manage complex manufacturing and processing waste streams. WTS empowers its clients to manage industrial waste streams, byproducts, and reusable materials in a compliant manner by leveraging its robust technical capabilities, Responsible Care® Management System, and long-standing culture of safety and stewardship. WTS is an industry leader in providing objective environmental consulting guidance and delivering circular economy solutions through recycling, reuse, and reclamation of industrial waste streams. (Source: Ridgemont)

PureCycle Receives REACH Certification, Unlocking EU Sales of PureFive™ Resin

PureCycle Technologies, Inc. announced it has received the REACH Certificate of Compliance, allowing the company to sell PureFive™ resin to customers in the European Union. The REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) Certificate of Compliance confirms that materials handled and produced by PureCycle meet the European Union’s (EU) stringent regulatory requirements for human health and environmental protection. PureCycle VP of European and Asia Pacific Operations Wiebe Schipper said, “Achieving EU REACH certification will allow us to help expand the reach of our first-of-a-kind dissolution recycling technology. We’re seeing demand for PureFive™ resin in Europe and this certification will allow us to put future orders of our high-quality recycled polypropylene into the hands of these potential customers, allowing them to try our products before our European production starts in 2028.” PureCycle has plans to build its first European facility at the port of Antwerp in Belgium. This facility is expected to be completed in mid-2028. (Source: PureCycle)

FV Recycling Acquires Mid America Paper Recycling, Expanding National Presence and Service Capabilities

FV Recycling (FV), a Jones Capital portfolio company and a leading commercial and industrial recycling company based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, announces it has acquired Mid America Paper Recycling (Mid America), one of the largest independent brokers, processors, and exporters of recovered materials in the Central United States. The acquisition significantly expands FV's geographic footprint into the Midwest while enhancing service capabilities for customers nationwide. Founded in 1926 and based in Chicago, IL, Mid America brings nearly a century of recycling expertise and strong brokerage capabilities to FV’s expansive fleet, equipment offerings, and established cardboard pickup services. The combined company will handle over 900,000 tons of recyclable materials annually, employing 180 professionals across the United States. (Source: Mid America Paper Recycling)

NEXTLOOPP Americas Welcomes Alcamare as First North American Recycler to Join Their Unique Project

NEXTLOOPP Americas, the global initiative committed to creating a circular economy for post-consumer, food-grade polypropylene (FGrPP) packaging across the Americas, announced that Mexican-based Alcamare International Group has joined the project to participate in its mission to close the loop on food-grade polypropylene. Since its inaugural launch on June 5, 2025, NEXTLOOPP Americas has been mobilizing stakeholders across the packaging and plastics value chain – including recyclers, converters, brand owners and recycling equipment providers – to establish the infrastructure, technologies, and regulatory pathways needed for safe, scalable recycling of food-grade PP via the proprietary PPristineTM resin process. Alcamare joins a growing international ecosystem that integrates recyclers, converters, brand owners, and technology providers. Together, these partners are deploying advanced technologies such as AI-driven sorting, and high-performance cleaning and decontamination systems to make food-grade PP recycling safe, viable, and commercially scalable. (Source: Waste Advantage)

I Squared Capital to Acquire Liberty Tire Recycling from Energy Capital Partners

I Squared Capital, a leading independent global infrastructure investor, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Liberty Tire Recycling from Energy Capital Partners, a leading investment firm in the energy transition infrastructure sector. Liberty Tire Recycling is North America’s premier end-of-life tire recycling platform, providing comprehensive tire collection, processing and recycling solutions. The transaction adds Liberty to I Squared’s growing global portfolio of environmental infrastructure platforms and reinforces the firm’s commitment to building sustainable businesses that deliver both economic and environmental value. (Source: I Squared Capital)

Ecobat Announces Sale of U.K. Operations to Funds Advised by Splitstone Capital LLP

Ecobat announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to sell its battery recycling and specialty lead operations in the United Kingdom to funds advised by Splitstone Capital LLP, a U.K.-based private equity firm. The transaction encompasses Ecobat’s facility in Matlock, the largest battery recycling plant in Europe, as well as the company’s lead sheet mill in Welwyn Garden City. “We are pleased to announce the sale of our U.K. operations,” said Tom Slabe, President and CEO of Ecobat. “Upon completion, this transaction – along with the previously announced divestitures in France, Italy, Germany, and Austria – will mark Ecobat’s exit from the European lead market. This strategic transition positions us to focus on our U.S. and lithium-Ion battery recycling operations. Ecobat will continue to pursue additional opportunities to maximize value for shareholders beyond these transactions.” The transaction is expected to close by late-2025, pending regulatory approvals. Rothschild & Co is acting as financial advisor and White & Case as legal advisor to Ecobat on the transaction. (Source: Ecobat)

JPMorganChase Launches $1.5 Trillion Security and Resiliency Initiative to Boost Critical Industries

JPMorganChase announced the Security and Resiliency Initiative, a $1.5 trillion, 10-year plan to facilitate, finance and invest in industries critical to national economic security and resiliency. As part of this new initiative, JPMorganChase will make direct equity and venture capital investments of up to $10 billion to help select companies primarily in the United States enhance their growth, spur innovation, and accelerate strategic manufacturing. JPMorganChase will focus on the following four key areas, supporting companies across all sizes and development stages by offering advice, providing financing, and, in some cases, investing capital: Supply Chain and Advanced Manufacturing, including critical minerals, pharmaceutical precursors and robotics; Defense and Aerospace, including defense technology, autonomous systems, drones, next-gen connectivity and secure communications; Energy Independence and Resilience, including battery storage, grid resilience and distributed energy; Frontier and Strategic Technologies, including AI, cybersecurity and quantum computing. More specifically, the firm has currently divided these four key areas into 27 sub-areas, ranging from shipbuilding and nuclear energy to nanomaterials and critical defense components. (Source: JPMorgan Chase)

Jindal Films Europe Strengthens European Operations with Major Investment in Brindisi, Italy

Jindal Films Europe (JFE), a global leader in the development and manufacture of specialty films, is reinforcing its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and long-term growth in Europe with a significant investment in its Brindisi site in Italy. The new state-of-the-art 10 meter Orienter line, currently under construction by Bruckner, represent a major step forward in production capacity, technological capability, and sustainability. Once operational, in the second half of 2026, this new Orienter line will increase the Brindisi site’s annual production capacity, making it one of the largest film production sites in Europe. The hybrid Orienter line is designed to process both polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) materials, enabling the production of a broad portfolio of specialty films, including BOPE Ethy-Lyte™, In-Mould Label (IML), Tobacco, Label and Flexible Packaging films. With this expansion, Brindisi will play a key role in supplying JFE’s customers across Europe, America, and Asia, reinforcing its position as a major production hub within the company’s global network. (Source: Jindal Films)

SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: October 13-17, 2025

Aluminum Association Calls for Export Restrictions on Strategic Scrap Metal to Support U.S. Manufacturing, Strengthen Supply Chains

The Aluminum Association released a new white paper, Scrap the Exports, Save U.S. Supply: Treating Aluminum Scrap as a Strategic Asset, outlining the urgent need for federal action to keep more aluminum scrap at home to support America’s manufacturing base. Every year, the United States consumes between 5 – 6 million metric tons of aluminum scrap while exporting more than 2 million metric tons. The Aluminum Association is calling for: An immediate ban on used beverage container (UBC) exports outside of North America where the free flow of UBCs is essential to regional industry; Updated U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (USHTS) codes and other tracking mechanisms to better monitor aluminum scrap flows and enforce restrictions; Investment in new technology to improve scrap collection and sortation including passage of the bipartisan CIRCLE Act; Potential expansion of export controls to other types of mill-ready scrap over time as tracking and infrastructure improves. (Source: Aluminum Association)

US Cancels $500 Million Cobalt Tender in Critical Minerals Blow

The US Defense Department canceled a tender to buy cobalt, in a fresh sign of the challenges facing Western countries trying to bolster domestic supplies of the battery metal. The Defense Logistics Agency first sought offers in mid-August for up to 7,500 tons of cobalt over the next five years in a contract worth as much as $500 million. It was the US government’s first attempt to acquire the metal since 1990, Bloomberg News previously reported. The DLA extended the deadline for offers multiple times, from the original due date of Aug. 29 out to Oct. 15. Now, the tender has been dropped, in an apparent setback to US efforts to replenish its critical-mineral reserves after decades of declines.“There are outstanding issues with the Statement of Work that need resolution before offers may be solicited,” according to a notice published on a US government website on Wednesday. “Upon resolution, solicitation will be re-issued with a new opening and closing date.” (Source: Bloomberg News)

SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: October 13-17, 2025