There comes a time in the history of every technology when a test bench becomes a model for replication. For OSAI GreenTech, that moment came with the plant built for the IREN Group in Italy. This plant proved that the automated separation of components from end-of-life printed circuit boards could work efficiently and sustainably on an industrial scale. Today, this patent technology is preparing to cross the Alps.
OSAI Green Tech Società Benefit S.r.l. and REECLO S.a.s.u., a French green tech start-up specializing in electronic waste treatment, have signed a Letter of Intent to develop an industrial hub in the Hauts-de-France region in the northern France. This agreement marks the first step in OSAI Green Tech’s international expansion of its Urban Mining model.
A French problem, an Italian response
The project addresses a critical issue affecting the entire French WEEE recovery sector. “Currently, France exports more than 50% of its electronic boards outside the national borders, forfeiting enormous economic and strategic value,” said Ugo Boasso, founder of REECLO.
Copper, gold, silver and palladium are precious resources that could support a national supply chain, generating economic value and contributing to the country’s strategic autonomy in the recovery of critical raw materials.
For this reason, REECLO has chosen to develop a model for the local treatment of electronic boards from WEEE, with “the aim of making Urban Mining a local and sustainable process”, rooted in the territory.
OSAI GreenTech at the service of the French supply chain
In this context, OSAI GreenTech will support REECLO as both a technology supplier and an industrial partner, providing skills that have already been validated in the marketplace.
At the heart of the project is the Re4M PCB 2000 line, which was developed by OSAI GreenTech to automate the separation of components from end-of-life electronic boards. This will be followed by a plant dedicated to the recovery and refining of precious metals through hydrometallurgical processes, thus completing the entire value chain from electronic waste to recovered raw materials.
This industrial approach has already been successfully adopted in Italy at the plant built for the IREN Group and will serve as a reference point for future implementation in France.
A model ready to grow across borders
” Following our experience with the first plant we built for the IREN Group in Italy, we are proud to share our expertise, proprietary technologies and experience in the sector to help create a sustainable and innovative industrial model in France through the REECLO project,” commented Fabio Benetti, CEO of OSAI GreenTech.
“France is a nation with great growth potential in the Urban Mining sector, thanks also to a level of WEEE collection that exceeds the European average.”
The agreement with REECLO is about much more than supplying technology; it marks the beginning of exporting a validated industrial model that can adapt to different markets and regulatory contexts while maintaining high efficiency, sustainability and resource recovery standards. This strengthens OSAI GreenTech’s position as a leading European provider of technologies for the valorization of electronic waste.
