What Tracegrow does

Tracegrow Oy is a Finnish cleantech company founded in the early 2010s by farmer and entrepreneur Petri Huhtala, headquartered in Kärsämäki, Finland. The company operates a patented RETRACER technology platform that recovers manganese and zinc from spent alkaline batteries and industrial sidestreams, converting low-value waste streams into CE-certified micronutrient fertilizers and, more recently, battery-grade raw materials. The recovery process achieves a 90% raw material yield versus approximately 50% for traditional recycling, operates at room temperature without wastewater or smokestack emissions, and reduces CO2 footprint by up to 70% compared with virgin mining. Tracegrow runs an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified production facility with annual liquid fertilizer capacity of up to 10 million liters.

The product portfolio comprises four core liquid micronutrient fertilizers — ZIMACO-PRO (IDHA-chelated zinc, manganese, and copper), ZMC-GROW, ZM-GROW, and M-TRACE — all approved for organic farming across the EU, USA (OMRI, CDFA), Australia (NASAA), and other jurisdictions. In November 2025, Tracegrow launched REDO-M, a circular battery-grade manganese sulphate product targeting cathode producers and EV/energy storage manufacturers seeking EU-sourced, low-carbon inputs. The company monetizes through hardware sales of fertilizers via a tiered distributor network and through emerging sales of industrial-grade manganese and zinc materials.

Tracegrow employs a hybrid go-to-market strategy combining direct enterprise sales through a Global Sales Manager with a tiered distribution model anchored by Brenntag SE at the European level and supported by regional distributors across Finland, the Baltics, Scandinavia, the UK, Southeastern Europe, Africa (Tunisia), Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), and South America (Brazil). Revenue derives from three streams: micronutrient fertilizer sales, battery-grade material sales, and industrial raw material sales. The company is privately held, majority-owned by Huhtala Yhtiöt, with institutional backing from Taaleri and Nordic Food Tech and a broad base of more than 300 small investors. Leadership transitioned in April 2025 with Jaakko Nauha appointed CEO to lead an international growth phase.

Name

Tracegrow

Legal name

Tracegrow Oy

Website

https://tracegrow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tracegrow is a Finnish cleantech company that uses patented RETRACER technology to recover manganese and zinc from recycled alkaline batteries and industrial sidestreams, producing CE-certified micronutrient fertilizers and circular battery-grade materials for agricultural and battery industry customers across 15+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Fertilizers

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531)

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810)

akta.pro primary industry

Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery (Li-ion, LFP, Flow, Lead-Acid) (EUAMALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Battery Materials Refining & Re-Manufacturing Feedstocks (Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Graphite Salts) (EUAIAIAJ), Fertilizer Raw Materials & Intermediates (Phosphate Rock, Sulfuric/Phosphoric Acid, Potash Ore/Brines) (AFABABAH)

Keywords

• Micronutrient fertilizers
• Battery-grade manganese
• Circular economy recycling
• Recycled battery materials
• Sustainable agriculture inputs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kärsämäki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Micronutrient Fertilizer Sales: Sale of CE-certified micronutrient fertilizers (ZIMACO-PRO, ZMC-GROW, ZM-GROW, M-TRACE) made from recycled materials to farmers, distributors, and fertilizer blenders. Products available in 10L and 1000L packaging for professional and large-scale use. Products sold through distributor network across 15+ countries.
2. Battery-Grade Material Sales: Sale of battery-grade manganese sulphate (REDO-M) to cathode producers, battery manufacturers, and battery recyclers for use in electric vehicle and energy storage applications.
3. Industrial Raw Material Sales: Sale of sulfate-based zinc and manganese materials recovered from industrial sidestreams to various industrial applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tracegrow recovers manganese and zinc from recycled alkaline batteries and industrial sidestreams using its patented RETRACER technology, producing CE-certified micronutrient fertilizers (ZIMACO-PRO, ZMC-GROW, ZM-GROW, M-TRACE) for agriculture and circular battery-grade manganese sulphate (REDO-M) for the European battery industry. The company operates an ISO-certified production facility in Kärsämäki, Finland with up to 10 million liters of annual liquid fertilizer capacity, and distributes products in 15+ countries.

Product overview

Tracegrow offers a portfolio of micronutrient fertilisers derived from recycled alkaline batteries and industrial sidestreams, featuring four main liquid fertiliser products (ZIMACO-PRO, ZMC-GROW, ZM-GROW, M-TRACE) plus an industrial battery-grade manganese product (REDO-M®). All fertilisers are CE-certified, approved for organic farming, and suitable for foliar application or seed coating. The products share a circular economy foundation—they recover zinc, manganese, copper, and sulfur from recycled sources using the proprietary RETRACER technology, reducing reliance on virgin mining. Production capacity reaches 10 million liters annually at the Finland facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RETRACER: Patented recycling technology that recovers manganese and zinc from European industrial sidestreams and recycled batteries, delivering circular raw materials for agriculture and battery industries.
• REDO-M

Products and services

• ZIMACO-PRO A chelated micronutrient fertiliser with biodegradable IDHA containing zinc (25 g/l), manganese (28 g/l), and copper (9 g/l). Approved for organic farming, suitable for foliar application and seed nutrient coating. Features excellent mixability and is completely water-soluble.
• ZMC-GROW A sustainable micronutrient fertiliser containing zinc (64 g/l), manganese (58 g/l), sulfur, and copper (21 g/l). Approved for organic farming and proven to increase yields in organic oats by up to 16.7%.
• ZM-GROW A European sustainable fertiliser containing zinc (67 g/l), manganese (60 g/l), and sulfur. Sulphate-based, approved for organic farming. Suitable for foliar fertilisation and seed nutrient coating.
• M-TRACE A concentrated fertiliser containing manganese (150 g/l, 10.9% w/w) and sulfur for foliar application. Completely water-soluble and approved for organic farming.
• REDO-M® Circular battery-grade manganese sulphate for Europe's battery industry. Produced from EU-sourced recycled alkaline batteries and industrial feedstocks using proprietary RETRACER process. Independent validation by University of Oulu confirms battery-grade purity for use in EV and energy storage applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% material recovery rate from alkaline batteries vs 50% traditional recycling
• +6 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of OulucoreTechnology or Integration · 6 November 2025Independent validation partner confirming that Tracegrow's RETRACER process achieves high purity levels required by battery manufacturers for battery-grade manganese sulphate applications.
• Brenntag SEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean-level distribution agreement for Tracegrow's micronutrient fertilizers across Europe. Brenntag is one of the world's leading chemical and ingredients distributors.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Recylex: French-German group specializing in recycling lead and zinc from industrial waste and end-of-life batteries. Closely comparable circular-economy metals recycling business model, particularly in zinc — one of Tracegrow's two primary recovered materials.
• Retriev Technologies: US-based company focused on recycling spent alkaline batteries and other battery chemistries. Direct peer in primary alkaline battery recycling, the upstream activity Tracegrow's RETRACER technology also performs.

Emerging players

• Euro Manganese: Canadian company developing high-purity manganese from secondary/legacy mining sources for the EV battery supply chain. Closely comparable positioning to Tracegrow's REDO-M in addressing Western battery-grade manganese demand outside dominant Chinese supply.
• Ostara: Canada/US company that recovers nutrients (phosphate, nitrogen) from wastewater streams and converts them into crop nutrition products. Conceptually comparable circular-economy nutrient recovery model, applied to a different waste stream than Tracegrow's alkaline batteries.

Broad incumbents

• ERAMET: French mining and metallurgy group that is one of the world's largest producers of manganese (via Comilog). Direct competitor in battery-grade manganese supply, though via primary mining rather than recycled feedstocks like Tracegrow.
• South32: Australian diversified miner with significant manganese (GEMCO in Australia) and zinc operations. Comparable as a major manganese market participant whose volumes set commodity benchmarks Tracegrow's recycled product must compete with.
• Glencore: Global mining and commodity trading major with significant manganese and zinc production. Represents the incumbent supply benchmark Tracegrow's recycled materials must compete against on price, scale, and reliability.
• Umicore: Belgian materials technology group with major battery materials (cathode precursors, manganese-based chemistries) and recycling operations. Highly comparable as a circular battery-materials player, though much larger and broader in scope than Tracegrow's specialized alkaline-to-manganese focus.
• ICL Group: Israel-based specialty fertilizers and minerals company producing micronutrients and specialty plant nutrition products. Comparable in the agricultural fertilizer end of Tracegrow's business, particularly in specialty/micronutrient segments.

Regional players

• Outokumpu: Finnish stainless steel producer with a significant metals recycling business. Regional peer in Finnish circular-metals operations and provides a comparable industrial circular-economy template operating from a similar geographic base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TracegrowOy

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tracegrow