Indaver, nice to meet you
Indaver, that’s us: we are a collective of over 2,000 passionate employees across nine European countries. What unites us? The motivation to leave a positive mark on society through sustainable materials management. Together we work towards a safe, prosperous, self-sufficient and circular Europe.
We do this by looking at waste from a different perspective. At Indaver, we view waste not as the end of the line but as a beginning—a source of new raw materials and clean energy. That’s why we are deeply committed to innovative projects that elevate this form of value creation to new heights. Moreover, we play a critical role in keeping our society safe by effectively removing polluting components from the materials and food cycle.
In essence, we embrace our responsibility to expedite the shift towards a circular economy, both now and in the future. For a detailed exploration of how we’re making this happen, take a look back at our achievements in 2023.
What is our social role?
In 2023, Indaver managed over 5 million tonnes of household and industrial waste. With innovative techniques, which we are constantly improving to protect people and the environment even better, we extract maximum value from waste. To illustrate, we treated 2.8 million tonnes of waste to recover valuable materials and clean energy.
5.1 million tonnes waste
ENERGY RECOVERY
The energy transition should provide European society with affordable, reliable and clean energy. Moreover, this revolution is also one of the pillars in the fight against climate change, as decided at the UN Climate Change Conference at the end of 2023.
MATERIALS RECOVERY
Our natural resources are dwindling. Europe is also too dependent on other regions for the supply of critical materials. To restore the balance, the transition to a circular economy will be crucial.
Indaver invests in high-tech installations to recover valuable and/or scarce materials from various waste streams. Think about precious metals, basic chemicals, solvents, compost, etc.
Our facilities produce energy from the waste treatment process. We use this renewable energy in our own processes and supply it to companies and residential areas in the form of steam, power and electricity. 1.1
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PROTECTING PEOPLE
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
If we want to keep the circular economy going, we need to remove pollutants from the cycle. Think contaminated industrial and hospital waste, asbestos, PFAS and heavy metals. To protect our material and food chains, Europe needs players who tackle this challenge with the necessary vigour and expertise.
Indaver guarantees safe solutions. Depending on the type of waste, we destroy the unwanted elements at high temperatures or neutralise the hazardous components. We safely dispose of the unavoidable residual components in our landfills.
55% processed for material and energy recovery.
WASTE
Businesses and households produce waste. Indaver provides a sustainable solution.
ENABLER
Waste products in the green chain are relatively pure and therefore have a high circular potential. We recover as many materials and as much energy as possible from this.
GATEKEEPER
Waste products in the grey chain contain hazardous substances, also known as contaminants, and have a low circular potential.
20% 18%
7% pre-treatment for material and energy recovery. of hazardous waste was thermally treated to eradicate harmful components or neutralised through physicochemical processes. of the waste safely and sustainably stored on landfill sites.
SAFE SINK
With specialist facilities we guarantee a ‘safe sink’: we destroy and/or neutralise all hazardous substances or store them safely in a landfill, thus keeping the materials chain safe.
MATERIALS
Maximum recovery of high-grade materials.
SAFE CYCLE
Our focus is on keeping the cycle safe. Using innovative techniques we can also recover energy and valuable molecules from these streams.
ENERGY
Maximum recovery of energy in the form of steam, electricity and heat.
Creating value from waste is essential to ensure well-being and prosperity in the Europe of tomorrow. In this way, we provide a much-needed answer to the rising demand for raw materials, the energy transition and the protection of our natural environment.
How do we realise our ambition?
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Indaver wants to remain a leader in sustainable waste management. To realise this overarching ambition, we have developed a unique approach which revolves around 6 priorities.
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#Decisiveness
We do what we say. We provide an all-in service. For example, we offer comprehensive waste management solutions, we take the lead in establishing steam and heat networks and integrate innovative approaches to manage emerging waste streams.
#Partnerships
More and more, we’re broadening our horizons, extending beyond our own sector’s boundaries. To fast-track the shift towards a circular economy, it’s crucial to foster wide-ranging partnerships that include businesses, academic institutions, trade unions, and governmental bodies. Indaver is at the forefront of these pioneering efforts.
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#Agility
In our industry, you often need to think on your feet. Clinging too rigidly to a single vision of the future is not an option. The rapid and often unpredictable pace of societal change demands flexibility and prompt action. At Indaver, we embrace this challenge with a team of employees eager to shape the future together.
n Ensuring transparency in communications and actions 4 5 6
#Care
We do this not only by reducing the impact on people and the environment in all our activities but also by coming up with effective solutions for complex waste streams. The best example: our approach to substances of very high concern, such as PFAS.
#Values
Our 5 core values serve as a compass for our operations:
n Demonstrating concern for people, safety and the environment
n Concentrating on achieving results
n Continuously improving
n Building relationships based on mutual trust
#Innovation
Enhancing our contribution to society is a never-ending journey. Developing innovative solutions for new waste streams? That’s part of our daily work. Boosting energy efficiency within our operations?
A priority. Reducing our ecological footprint? Commitment we never compromise on. Exploring new avenues for plastics recycling through R&D and looking for carbon capture and utilisation solutions? Absolutely essential.
EMPLOYEE NUMBERS BY COUNTRY
An approach that delivers growth
We are convinced that our contribution to the circular economy is the recipe for growth in the years to come.
Where do we operate?
The short answer: in 9 European countries. There, we manage and operate facilities that keep the circular economy and its cycles closed and safe. With targeted investments and acquisitions, we are systematically expanding our radius of action, as well as our capacity to efficiently recover energy and materials from various waste streams.
Large-scale waste-to-energy installations for valorising energy from non-recyclable waste streams.
Doel (BE) – Meath (IE) – Aberdeen (UK)
– Rivenhall (in construction, UK)
Transfer stations for the safe intermediate storage and handling of waste.
All Indaver countries
2,212 employees in the Indaver Group
Well-monitored landfills for safe and sustainable storage of hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
Belgium – Germany – The Netherlands
Specialised high temperature treatment installations offering safe solutions for hazardous waste.
Hamburg (DE) – Biebesheim (DE)Antwerp (BE)
High-tech recycling installations for recovery of valuable materials.
Inda-MP (BE) – Solvents (UK, BE) – P2C (BE)
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Composting installations for processing green waste and vegetable, garden and fruit waste.
The Netherlands
Indachlor (FR) – Willebroek (BE)
Which projects def ined 2023?
MATERIALS RECOVERY
Plastics2Chemicals: towards circular plastics
Antwerp, Belgium
Guided by the European Green Deal, Indaver is developing scalable and economically viable recycling solutions for complex plastics. The aim is to open Europe’s largest depolymerisation facility in 2027, with a capacity of 65,000 tonnes per year. Subsequently, our objective is to implement the concept in additional regions.
In 2023, the most visible progress was the construction of a demo facility in Antwerp and the pre-treatment plant in Willebroek. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the concept has garnered significant interest and support from various stakeholders throughout the chain.
MATERIALS RECOVERY
More materials from green waste Rotterdam, The Netherlands
In 2022, we commissioned a state-of-the-art postprocessing plant at our vfg composting facility in Rotterdam. The plant features the best available technology to remove contamination from the material stream. In 2023, we also started reprocessing residue streams. This allows us to produce more compost from the incoming vfg. In addition, a larger part of the sieve overflow is used to make biomass, from which we generate electricity. We use the learnings to improve the post-processing installations at the other vfg sites.
MATERIALS RECOVERY
Inda-MP: new filtration unit reduces carbon footprint
Antwerp, Belgium
At our cutting-edge facility, Inda-MP specialises in extracting precious metals from liquids that contain them. With the introduction of a new processing line in 2023, we’re set to double our capacity, enabling us to handle a wider variety of waste. This expansion not only boosts our efficiency but also cuts down on the need for mining new precious metals—a process notoriously heavy on carbon emissions.
For perspective, producing one kilogram of Palladium generates approximately 25 tonnes of CO2.
Commissioning an innovative power plant
Aberdeen, Scotland
In Aberdeen, Scotland, Indaver has been operating the NESS Waste-to-Energy plant since October 2023. The plant processes some 150,000 tonnes of non-recyclable household waste from a number of municipalities in northeast Scotland. The heat released during waste incineration will be supplied to a nearby residential area from 2024, where residents will therefore no longer need fossil fuels for heating and hot water.
ENERGY RECOVERY
Sustainable heat for industry and homes
Belgium and Germany
In partnership with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and other stakeholders, Indaver has successfully implemented the Antwerp North Heat Network in Belgium. Following extensive planning and preparation, the industrial heat network became operational at the end of 2023. Boortmalt, the world’s largest malting facility, now utilises the residual heat from our rotary kilns. In the next phase of the project, grid operator Fluvius will develop a residential network aimed at supplying energy to 3,200 households.
In Hamburg (Germany), Indaver’s rotary kilns have been supplying energy to the city grid for many years. In 2023, we replaced steam with compressed air in certain facilities. This will enable us to recover even more energy. We are also planning a new installation to cool the flue gases from 170°C to 40°C at the end of the process. The energy we ‘gain’ will be used in the local heat network. In this way, we will supply energy to 45,000 instead of 30,000 households.
PROTECTING PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Remediation of a contaminated pharmaceutical site
Clarecastle, Ireland
Roche ceased its pharmaceutical operations in Clarecastle, Ireland, in 2020. What was left behind was a 36-hectare contaminated site. Indaver was appointed as the main contractor for the remediation, working closely with Roche’s team and specialist subcontractors.
Phase 1 was completed in 2023. All soil was safely transported to our Waste-to-Energy plant Meath (UK), our facilities in Biebesheim and Hamburg (Germany) and other specialised waste treatment facilities in Europe.
PROTECTING PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Ensuring continuity at landfills
The Netherlands
In 2023, we completed preparations for the capacity expansion of our landfill site in North and Central Zeeland (The Netherlands). We will do this by optimising our current landfill site. A step that is necessary to ensure our services in the region and thus provide peace of mind for customers. After all, no more new landfills may be opened. With the additional capacity, we expect to meet demand until 2040 (and beyond).
PROTECTING PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Total solution for illegally disposed of hazardous waste
Hamburg, Germany
Indaver won a public tender in 2023 to take care of 44 tonnes of dishwasher tablets and powder that had been illegally exported from Germany to Poland and dumped on a company site there. Together with a partner, we repacked and transported the waste, and carried out the processing at our facility in Hamburg, Germany.
