Comet Group
Comet Group is a family-owned Belgian industrial recycler trading ferrous and non-ferrous metals via roughly thirty subsidiaries across Belgium and France, operating Europe's most powerful 7,000 hp shredder with 1.2M tonnes annual throughput and 98.4% valorization.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersChâtelet, Belgium
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Comet Group does
Comet Group is a Belgian family-owned industrial group founded in 1986 and headquartered in Châtelet, operating approximately thirty subsidiaries across Belgium and northern France. It trades and recycles ferrous and non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminium, brass, zinc, nickel alloys, stainless steel), with adjacent business lines in end-of-life vehicle (ELV) depollution, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) processing, tyre recycling, and shredder residue valorization. Its operational backbone is the Obourg site, which houses Europe's most powerful 7,000 hp Metso Lindemann shredder processing roughly 1.2 million tonnes of input per year at 300 tonnes/hour and achieving a 98.4% overall valorization rate. Customers served include steel and iron producers, construction, electrical/electronics manufacturers, commodity traders, and the second-hand automotive parts market through entities such as Recycar, Recymet, Comet Traitements, and CTR.
The group's competitive position rests on proprietary R&D executed with academic and public-sector partners: the Biolix hydrometallurgical process, industrialized with support from ULiège's GeMMe laboratory and the Walloon Region's €65M Reverse Metallurgy program, produces 99.99% pure LME-grade copper cathodes at 1,500 tonnes/year capacity; Phoenix converts the organic fraction of shredder residues into liquid fuels and carbon with recovery rates exceeding 97%; PickIt enables robotized metal sorting above one piece per second. A more recent Matvision-validated multi-sensor sorting demonstrator combines X-ray, infrared, laser, and 3D sensors with AI to identify up to 20 material types. The group holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and WEEELABEX certifications and operates the first certified ELV depollution center in Belgium (electric/hybrid capability added in 2019).
Revenue is generated through transaction-based buying and selling of recyclable metals and derived materials, with pricing tied to LME commodity benchmarks and material specifications. The go-to-market is sales-led via dedicated buying and selling teams across Belgium, France, and broader European markets served (Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, UK, Poland, Czechia) with exported volumes handled through a Gent export platform capable of loading 40,000+ tonne shipments for Asia and South America. Revenue, headcount (380 employees), and ownership structure remain private and undisclosed beyond publicly stated operational scale.
Comet Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Comet Group
- Legal name
- Groupe Comet
- Website
- https://cometgroup.be
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Comet Group is a family-owned Belgian industrial recycler trading ferrous and non-ferrous metals via roughly thirty subsidiaries across Belgium and France, operating Europe's most powerful 7,000 hp shredder with 1.2M tonnes annual throughput and 98.4% valorization.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Comet Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Metal Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers (42393), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers (42351)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050), Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scrap Collection, Brokerage & Trading (Dealers, Aggregators, Exporters) (EUAIAJAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Brokerage (Aluminum, Copper, Brass/Bronze, Lead, Zinc, Nickel) (IMAKAMAB), Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Recycling (Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Lead, Zinc) (EUAIAJAB), Auto Shredding & Metal Fragmentation (Shredder Operations) (EUAIAJAD), Metal Melting & Secondary Smelting/Refining (Recycled Feedstock Producers) (EUAIAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Comet Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Châtelet
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Comet Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Metal Trading and Recycling: Purchase, processing, and sale of ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminium, brass, zinc, nickel alloys, stainless steel), and derived materials. Revenue generated through material sales on LME market and to steel industry.
- End-of-Life Vehicle Processing: Depollution and processing services for end-of-life vehicles, including extraction of fluids, batteries, and reusable parts. Recovery of materials through shredding operations.
- WEEE Processing: Processing of waste electrical and electronic equipment, including manual dismantling of hazardous components and recovery of high-value materials like printed circuits and processors.
- Tyre Recycling: Collection, sorting, and processing of used tyres through fragmentation and shredding for granulaton, cement plants, or second-hand market.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Material purchase and sale pricing varies by material type and volume |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Comet Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Comet Group purchases, processes, and sells ferrous and non-ferrous metals, end-of-life vehicles, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), used tyres, and shredder residues through a network of more than 30 wholly-owned subsidiaries across Belgium and France. The group operates Europe's most powerful shredder (7,000 hp Metso Lindemann) at the Obourg site, processing 1.2 million tonnes annually, and produces LME-grade 99.99% purity copper cathodes through its proprietary Biolix hydrometallurgical process.
Product overview
Comet Group is a Belgian family-owned industrial group operating as a recycling and metal trading company with approximately 30 subsidiaries across Belgium and France. The company offers an integrated portfolio of recycling services for ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, end-of-life vehicles, WEEE, tyres, and shredder residues. Key operational products include RECYCAR (ELV processing), RECYMET (non-ferrous metals), COMETSAMBRE (ferrous metals), and Comet Tyre Recycling (CTR). The group operates the most powerful shredder in Europe (7,000 hp) at Obourg, processing 1.2 million tonnes annually with 98%+ recovery rates. R&D innovations include Biolix (hydrometallurgical copper recovery), Phoenix (fuel conversion from shredder residues), PickIt (robotic metal sorting), and Substitution Sand (asphalt aggregates).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ferrous Metals Trading and Recycling Purchase, sorting, and recycling of ferrous metals including steel, cast iron, and various scrap grades, supplied primarily to steel mills and foundries. Operates a 7,000 hp Metso Lindemann shredder at Obourg processing 1,200,000 tonnes annually.
- Non-Ferrous Metals Trading and Recycling Purchase and sorting of copper, copper alloys, aluminum, lead, zinc, nickel alloys, stainless steel, electric motors, and cables. Includes copper wire (Millberry), brass, and various aluminum grades for resale to industrial buyers.
- End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Processing Depollution and recycling of end-of-life vehicles through the Recycar subsidiary, including extraction of fluids, batteries, and reusable parts. Achieves 98%+ recycling rates and resale of reusable components.
- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Processing Processing of white household equipment, small household appliances, and refrigeration equipment, including manual dismantling of hazardous components and recovery of high-value materials like printed circuits and processors.
- Tyre Recycling Collection, sorting, and processing of used tyres through Comet Tyre Recycling (CTR), including second-hand market preparation, shredding, and granulation for cement plants and re-use applications.
- Shredder Residues Processing Recovery and valorization of shredder residues through high-tech separation of non-ferrous metals, mineral fractions, and plastics, achieving among the highest recovery rates in Europe.
- Plastics from Shredder Residues Processing of plastics extracted from shredder residues into homogeneous recycled raw materials ready for re-entry into production chains of consumer goods.
- Biolix Copper Recovery Service Hydrometallurgical process for copper recovery from shredder residues, WEEE, and scrap, using acid leaching and electrolysis to produce 99.99% pure cathode copper for the LME market.
- Phoenix Fuel Conversion Service Conversion of ultimate organic fraction contained in shredder residues of metal waste into liquid fuels and carbon for use in the metal industry. Achieves recovery rates exceeding 97%.
- PickIt Robotized Metal Sorting Service
Quantifiable outcome
- 98.4% valorization rate on materials including ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, VHU, WEEE, and shredder residues
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Comet Group
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Comet Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Comet Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Université de Liège (GeMMe Laboratory)corePartnership with ULiège's GeMMe laboratory for development of the Biolix hydrometallurgical process. The technology was validated at the laboratory before industrialization. Six years of R&D supported by this collaboration.
- Citius EngineeringcorePartner in the Reverse Metallurgy project developing PickIt robotized sorting technology alongside Comet and University of Liège.
- Fédération Wallonie BruxellescoreSupporting partner for the Reverse Metallurgy project, supporting development of innovative recycling technologies.
- Eloy WaterminorPartnership with Eloy Water and University of Liège for Pur4Up project creating wastewater treatment stations from recycled plastics.
- WantyminorPartnership for developing innovative recycling process for road construction using recycled waste materials.
- MatvisionminorTechnology validation partner for robotic sorting technology. Comet validated Matvision's multi-sensor sorting system with €10m industrial demonstrator processing 20,000 tonnes annually.
- Mecatech PolecoreWalloon competitive cluster supporting innovative metal recycling projects. Biolix and Phoenix projects labeled within the cluster. Part of €65 million Reverse Metallurgy initiative.
- EIT Raw MaterialscoreEuropean Institute of Innovation and Technology's Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) network. Reverse Metallurgy is a KIC community positioning Wallonia within the European raw materials network.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves24 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Comet Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TSR Recycling: German-headquartered pan-European scrap metal trader and recycler with shredder operations, ELV, and WEEE divisions that mirror Comet's primary activity set.
- Scholz Recycling: Major European ferrous and non-ferrous scrap processor with shredding capacity and downstream metal sales comparable to Comet's integrated recycling model.
- Befesa: European metal recycler specializing in steel dust and aluminum salt-slag recovery with integrated collection networks; competes directly with Comet for industrial waste feedstock and recovered metal sales.
- Stena Recycling: Northern European metal recycling group with end-of-life vehicle, WEEE, and non-ferrous scrap operations overlapping Comet's Belgium/France footprint and customer base.
- Renewi: Benelux-based waste and metal recycling group operating scrap collection, sorting, and trading across ferrous and non-ferrous streams with comparable downstream valorization activities.
Broad incumbents
- Aurubis: European copper smelter and refiner producing cathodes from primary and secondary feedstocks; comparable to Comet's Biolix LME-grade cathode business on the refining side.
- Boliden: Swedish mining and metals group with significant non-ferrous smelting operations that overlap Comet's downstream copper and precious-metals recovery streams.
- Suez Recycling and Recovery: Global waste management group with a substantial European metal recycling division overlapping Comet in ELV depollution, ferrous/non-ferrous processing, and shredder residue valorization.
- Veolia Environmental Services: Global environmental services group with broad waste management and metal recovery operations across Europe; competes with Comet for municipal and industrial scrap contracts.
Regional players
- Daisin (formerly Sarp Industries subsidiary network): French non-ferrous metals recycler with comparable collection and processing operations across northern France, competing directly with Comet's Comet France and subsidiary footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Comet Group social profiles
Digital presenceComet Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Comet Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Comet Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Comet Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries18 records
Comet Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Comet Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Comet Group
What does Comet Group do?
Comet Group purchases, processes, and sells ferrous and non-ferrous metals, end-of-life vehicles, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), used tyres, and shredder residues through a network of more than 30 wholly-owned subsidiaries across Belgium and France. The group operates Europe's most powerful shredder (7,000 hp Metso Lindemann) at the Obourg site, processing 1.2 million tonnes annually, and produces LME-grade 99.99% purity copper cathodes through its proprietary Biolix hydrometallurgical process.
Is Comet Group a public or private company?
Comet Group is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Comet Group founded?
Comet Group was founded in 1986.
Where is Comet Group based?
Comet Group is headquartered in Châtelet, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Comet Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Metal Trading and Recycling is the primary driver. The others are end-of-Life Vehicle Processing, WEEE Processing and tyre Recycling.
Who are Comet Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TSR Recycling, Scholz Recycling, Befesa, Stena Recycling and Renewi. Broad incumbents are Aurubis, Boliden, Suez Recycling and Recovery and Veolia Environmental Services. Daisin (formerly Sarp Industries subsidiary network) is listed as a regional player.
Does Comet Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Comet Group.
What industry is Comet Group in?
Comet Group's product category is Metal Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAJAH, Scrap Collection, Brokerage & Trading (Dealers, Aggregators, Exporters), with a secondary code of IMAKAMAB, Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Brokerage (Aluminum, Copper, Brass/Bronze, Lead, Zinc, Nickel). Its NAICS code is 42393 and its SIC code is 5050.