What Müller-Guttenbrunn Group does

Müller-Guttenbrunn Group is a family-owned Austrian industrial recycling group headquartered in Amstetten, operating across six Central and Eastern European countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania). The group's core activity is the recovery of ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, plastics, and precious metals from end-of-life durable goods, principally end-of-life vehicles, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), shredder residues, and metal-containing slags. It processes approximately 850,000 tonnes of material annually and operates a patented hazardous-substance removal system known internally as the 'Smasher,' which enables deeper-than-typical WEEE recycling, including recovery of metals from printed circuit boards and plastics fractions.

The group is structured as a portfolio of wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, including MGG Metrec (metal recycling), MGG Metran (raw material processing and trading), MGG Polymers (plastics from WEEE, added via the 2017 acquisition of MBA Polymers Austria), Danubia Speicherei (storage), MER in Steinach, Germany, and country entities in Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, and Switzerland. In January 2026 the group extended upstream into waste collection and sorting with the acquisition of Entsorgungen Unger GmbH in Loosdorf, adding container/mulden logistics and material sorting for construction waste, electronics, cardboard, wood, and residual waste.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of processed ferrous and non-ferrous scrap concentrates, pure metals, plastic concentrates, and plastic flakes to industrial buyers such as steel mills, foundries, and manufacturers, supplemented by collection and sorting service fees (via Unger). The go-to-market is sales-led, with country-organized sourcing and sales teams serving B2B industrial clients alongside direct self-delivery and container services to private individuals and small builders. The group holds CENELEC EN 50625-1:2014 (WEEE), ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 9001:2015 certifications and operates a direct automated data exchange with the Austrian Ministry of Environment, supporting regulatory compliance under EU WEEE, End-of-Life Vehicle, and waste shipment regulations. Mag. Christian Müller-Guttenbrunn serves as CEO, with his son Maximilian assuming managing-director responsibility for the Unger subsidiary as part of an ongoing family succession.

Name

Müller-Guttenbrunn Group

Legal name

Müller-Guttenbrunn Gruppe

Website

https://mgg-recycling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Müller-Guttenbrunn Group is a family-owned Austrian industrial recycler that processes end-of-life vehicles, WEEE, and industrial scrap into ferrous, non-ferrous, and plastic concentrates, serving steel mills, manufacturers, municipalities, and private individuals across six Central and Eastern European countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amstetten

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ferrous scrap processing and sales: The group processes and sells all types of iron scrap as defined in the EU-27 EFR steel scrap grade list. Iron scrap is sourced from industrial producers, end-of-life vehicle collection, and demolition, then processed and sold to steel mills.
2. Non-ferrous metal concentrates and pure metals: Production of non-ferrous concentrates including stainless steel in various specifications, aluminum scrap, copper and brass, and printed circuit board fractions from WEEE in various qualities. Value is captured through the sale of these concentrated metal fractions.
3. Plastic concentrates and flakes: Plastic concentrates from shredder residues and plastic flakes from WEEE are produced and sold, completing the recycling chain by recovering plastics as well as metals.
4. Waste collection and sorting services (via Unger GmbH): With the acquisition of Entsorgungen Unger GmbH (Loosdorf, January 2026), the group expanded into waste collection, container/mulden service, and sorting operations for construction waste, metals, electronics, cardboard, wood, Eternite, insulation wool, tires, green waste, and residual waste. Revenue generated through service fees for collection and material sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Müller-Guttenbrunn Group processes end-of-life vehicles, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), shredder residues, and metal-containing slags to recover ferrous scrap, non-ferrous metal concentrates (aluminum, copper, brass, stainless steel, printed circuit boards with precious metals), and plastic concentrates/flakes. The group operates a deep recycling chain spanning collection, pollutant removal (via the patented 'Smasher' system), shredding, sorting, and metal/plastic recovery, processing approximately 850,000 tonnes of metals and plastics from durable goods annually across six European countries.

Product overview

Müller-Guttenbrunn Group is a recycling company that operates as a portfolio of subsidiary companies rather than a unified software product. The group processes approximately 850,000 tonnes of metals and plastics annually from durable goods, producing concentrates, pure metals, and plastics. The core product lines include iron scrap (Eisenschrott), non-ferrous metal concentrates (NE-Metall-Konzentrate) such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, and circuit boards, and plastics concentrates. Key operating subsidiaries include MGG Metrec (metal recycling), MGG Metran (raw material processing and trading), MGG Polymers (plastics recycling from WEEE), and Danubia Speicherei, with operations spanning Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MGG Metrec: Metal recycling operations in Austria
• MGG Metran
• MGG Polymers
• Danubia Speicherei
• MER
• MGG Mü-Gu
• MGG Metfer
• MGG Remat
• MGG Trade

Products and services

• Iron Scrap (Eisenschrott) Processed iron scrap in grades defined by the EU-27 EFR steel scrap specification list, sourced from industrial producers, end-of-life vehicle collection, and demolition, and sold to steel mills. Supports ~850,000 tonnes per year of total metal and plastics processing capacity.
• Non-Ferrous Metal Concentrates (NE-Metall-Konzentrate) Concentrated shredder residues and pure non-ferrous metals including stainless steel in various specifications, aluminum scrap, copper, brass, and printed circuit board fractions from WEEE in various qualities. Recovered through shredding, pollutant removal, and concentration processes and sold to industrial buyers.
• Plastics Concentrates and Flakes from WEEE Plastic concentrates produced from shredder residues and plastic flakes recovered from WEEE, completing the recycling chain for durable goods by recovering plastics alongside metals. Sourced and processed at the Austrian recycling facilities including MGG Polymers.
• End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Recycling Service End-of-life vehicle (Altauto) collection, depollution, dismantling, and processing into recovered ferrous and non-ferrous fractions, plastic fractions, and shredder residues. Originating activity of the group, supporting compliance with the EU ELV Directive.
• WEEE (Electronic and Electrical Waste) Recycling Service Recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (Elektro- und Elektronikschrott) using the group's patented 'Smasher' pollutant-removal technology, followed by recovery of ferrous, non-ferrous, precious metals from PCBs, and plastic fractions. Certified under Cenelec EN 50625-1:2014 for WEEE recycling and connected to EDM direct data exchange with the Austrian Ministry of Environment.
• Shredder Residue Processing Service Processing of shredder residues (Shredder Rückstände) to extract additional metal concentrates and plastic concentrates, including via shredding technology with environmental controls ('an environmentally conscious shredder'). Complements the ELV and metal recycling lines.
• Metal-Containing Slag Recycling Service Processing of metal-containing slags (Metallhältige Schlacken) to recover residual metal content, extending the recovery chain beyond shredding into metallurgical byproducts.
• Waste Collection and Sorting Service (via Entsorgungen Unger GmbH) Container and mulden service, waste collection, and sorting of construction waste, metals, electronics, cardboard, wood, insulation wool, tires, green waste, and residual waste within an approximately 60 km radius around Loosdorf. Operates a fleet of approximately 500 containers and muldens. Revenue is generated through service fees for collection and material sales.

Quantifiable outcome

• 850,000 tonnes of metals and plastics processed annually from durable goods

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Entsorgungen Unger GmbHcoreOthers · 1 January 2026Müller-Guttenbrunn GmbH acquired Entsorgungen Unger GmbH in Loosdorf effective 1 January 2026. The acquisition expands the group's portfolio toward a full-service provider in the recycling sector. The disposal business includes container and mulden service (~500 units within ~60 km radius), waste collection, and sorting of construction waste, metals, electronics, cardboard, wood, insulation, tires, green waste, and residual waste. Maximilian Müller-Guttenbrunn (son of CEO Christian Müller-Guttenbrunn) assumed management. All staff were retained.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stena Recycling: One of Europe's largest privately-held recyclers, operating across ferrous and non-ferrous metals, WEEE, and end-of-life vehicles in Northern and Continental Europe. Closely comparable to MGG's full-service, multi-metal, multi-stream recycling model.
• REMONDIS: Major European waste management and recycling group with significant metals recovery, WEEE, and ELV operations across multiple countries. Directly comparable to MGG in integrated recycling services and geographic spread.
• Scholz Recycling (TSR Group): One of Europe's largest ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal recyclers, with extensive shredder and downstream operations. Directly comparable to MGG's core ELV shredding and metal concentrate business.
• Duesenfeld: German WEEE specialist focused on deep recycling of electronic waste, including hazardous-substance removal and recovery of precious metals from PCBs. Direct overlap with MGG's patented Smasher-based WEEE processing capability.

Broad incumbents

• Aurubis: A large, listed European non-ferrous metals smelter and refiner, with significant copper and multi-metal recycling. Comparable to MGG's non-ferrous concentrate and pure metals stream, but operates at far greater scale across a broader metals portfolio.
• Sims Metal Management: Global publicly listed metal recycler with deep exposure to ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, including WEEE. Comparable business model to MGG's metal recovery operations, but at a much larger and more global scale.
• Veolia Environmental Services: Global environmental services and waste management group with substantial European WEEE, metal, and ELV recycling activities. Comparable to MGG in collection-to-recovery chain, though as a much larger and more diversified operator.
• Boliden: Nordic-listed metals and mining company with significant secondary smelting and recycling of non-ferrous metals (lead, copper, zinc). Comparable to MGG's non-ferrous metal concentrate and refining activities, though integrated with primary metals.
• Suez Recycling and Recovery: European environmental services group with a sizable metals and WEEE recycling division across multiple countries. Comparable to MGG in integrated recycling and cross-border waste logistics, but with broader municipal and industrial services.

Emerging players

• MBA Polymers: Specialist recycler of plastics from WEEE and end-of-life vehicles, founded from the same roots as MGG's MGG Polymers subsidiary (formerly MBA Polymers Austria). Directly comparable on the plastics-from-WEEE value stream that MGG operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mueller-guttenbrunn

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Müller-Guttenbrunn Group