Ehrlich Group

What Ehrlich Group does

Ehrich Gruppe (Ehrlich Group) is a privately held, family-owned waste management and recycling services company headquartered in Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, founded in 1878 and now under third-generation Scheil family ownership. The group operates nine companies across ten locations in northern Schleswig-Holstein, with the primary operating entity being F. Ehrich Gmb & Co. KG and key subsidiaries including Elly Nickels GmbH & Co. KG (demolition and dismantling since 1988), Ehrich Recyclinghof Husum GmbH & Co. KG, Ehrich Kiel GmbH & Co. KG, and a 50%-owned Recycling Anlage Fockbek GmbH. The group employs approximately 120-150 people and operates from facilities totaling roughly 16 hectares at the Rendsburg headquarters alone, including a 25,000 sqm modern recycling facility built on the former BASF site in 1992 and a 40,000 sqm harbor facility (Ehrich Port Husum) acquired in 2021.

Name

Ehrlich Group

Legal name

F. Ehrich GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://ehrich.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1878

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ehrlich Group is a family-owned German waste management and recycling company operating ten locations in northern Schleswig-Holstein. It provides container services, scrap metal and paper recycling, demolition, document destruction, and biomass processing to industrial, commercial, municipal, and private household customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management and Recycling

NAICS

Waste Collection (5621), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)

akta.pro primary industry

Auto Shredding & Metal Fragmentation (Shredder Operations) (EUAIAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Post-Shredder Separation & Recovery (Eddy Current, Heavy Media, Sensor Sorting) (EUAIAJAE), Source-Separated Organics (SSO) Collection & Hauling (EUAIAEAA), Metals Recovery & Scrap Processing (from C&D) (BPALAJAF), Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) & Universal Waste Sorting Facilities (EUAIADAK), Hazardous Waste Disposal (Secure Landfills, Deep-Well Injection) (EUAIAFAC), Industrial Sludge & Byproduct Management (BPALAHAG)

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Scrap metal recycling
• Container rental
• Demolition services
• Document destruction

Headquarters

HQ city

Rendsburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Container Services: Rental and delivery/pickup of containers for waste disposal. Containers range from 1-34 cubic meters. Revenue generated through container rental fees, transport costs, and waste processing fees based on container size and waste type.
2. Material Purchase and Resale: Purchase of recyclable materials (metals, paper, plastics, wood) from customers at market prices. Materials are then processed and sold to manufacturing industries as secondary raw materials.
3. Demolition and Dismantling Services: Building demolition, industrial dismantling, hazardous material remediation, and wind turbine decommissioning services through subsidiary Elly Nickels
4. Document Destruction: Secure document destruction services with containers from 240L to 33m3 provided to businesses for on-site document collection

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ehrich Gruppe is a certified waste management company (Entsorgungsfachbetrieb) that collects, transports, processes, and recycles diverse waste streams including steel scrap, non-ferrous metals, paper, plastics, construction waste, green waste, scrap wood, old vehicles, and confidential documents across ten locations in northern Schleswig-Holstein. The company rents containers from 1–34 cubic meters, operates metal shredding and shearing equipment, and runs demolition, dismantling, and hazardous material remediation through its subsidiary Elly Nickels, while also producing compost and soil products at its Fockbek recycling facility.

Product overview

Ehrich Group operates as a waste management and recycling company offering a comprehensive suite of disposal, transport, and recycling services through multiple subsidiaries. The portfolio is organized around container services (via F. Ehrich GmbH & Co. KG's web shop), disposal services accepting various waste types (steel scrap, non-ferrous metals, paper, plastics, green waste, construction waste, scrap wood, old vehicles, documents), crane truck logistics, demolition services through Elly Nickels, harbor operations at Port Husum, and composting/soil products through the Fockbek recycling facility. The company operates at ten locations across Schleswig-Holstein including Rendsburg (main headquarters), Eckernförde, Husum, Kiel, Fockbek, and Bordesholm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ehrich Port Husum: Multi-functional port facility in Husum harbor with halls, office space, and 100m quay wall for offshore transshipment, serving as supply point for islands and Halligen
• icon carbon

Products and services

• Container Service (Container-Dienst) Rental, delivery, and pickup of waste containers in sizes from 1 cbm mini-containers up to 34 cbm roll-off containers, plus press containers for commercial use; ordered via online shop or phone.
• Waste Disposal Services (Entsorgung) Drop-off and processing of accepted waste materials including scrap vehicles, scrap wood, construction waste, green waste, plastics, non-ferrous metals, paper and cardboard, and steel scrap at the company's six disposal sites.
• Document Destruction (Aktenvernichtung) Secure on-site and off-site document destruction services with containers from 240L to 33m3 provided to businesses for confidential paper collection in compliance with data protection regulations.
• Crane Truck Logistics (Kranwagen-Logistik) Crane truck transport services with up to 19m reach and 1.25t capacity at max reach, capable of transporting containers up to 20ft, big bags, gas tanks, and boats across northern Germany.
• Demolition and Dismantling Services (Elly Nickels) Building demolition, industrial decommissioning, hazardous material remediation, and wind turbine dismantling services operated through subsidiary Elly Nickels GmbH & Co. KG, prequalified for public procurement under §6 VOB/A.
• Ehrich Port Husum Harbor Facility Multi-functional port facility in Husum harbor with 100m quay wall, halls, and office spaces for rent, supporting offshore transshipment and supply operations to islands and Halligen.
• Compost and Soil Products (Recyclinganlage Fockbek) Production and sale of compost, topsoil (Mutterboden), humus, ready-mix concrete (Fertigbeton), raised-bed soil, gravel (Kies), bark mulch (Rindenmulch), and other soil products from processed green waste.
• Scrap Metal Purchase and Trading Direct purchase of ferrous metals (steel scrap) and non-ferrous metals (aluminum, copper, brass) from households, trades, and commercial customers at daily market prices, processed through shredding and shearing equipment and resold to manufacturing industries as secondary raw materials.
• Plant-Based Charcoal Sales (icon carbon) Sales of plant-based charcoal from pyrolysis plants and development of new biochar products including feed charcoal, bedding, and biochar compost.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 150 years of continuous operation since 1878
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered emerging, operational, specialized, core, industry, national and regional.

• Biochar Rendsburg GmbHemergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Investment in Borgstedt facility using state-of-the-art pyrolysis technology to carbonize wood and permanently bind CO2, part of icon carbon group
• BAR - Biomasse Aufbereitung NordemergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Joint venture with partners including W-Bast and Christoph Hohenschurz-Schmidt for biomass processing in northern Germany
• ScanMetals Deutschland GmbHoperationalTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2013Partnership for processing metals from municipal waste incineration slag. Originally part of Scanmetals group (Denmark). Ehrich acquired full stake in 2015 before selling ScanMetals Germany in 2020.
• BEN Biomasse Einkauf Nord GmbHspecializedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Joint venture (with Steuber and Brockmann) to ensure exclusive supply of wood to Hamburg biomass power plant with annual combustion capacity of ~145,000 tons of waste wood
• Jürgen Harder GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 200450% joint venture partner in Recycling Anlage Fockbek. Jürgen Harder handles construction waste, compost, and commercial waste streams. Partnership continues to operate the Fockbek recycling facility.
• Elly Nickels GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988Acquired in 1988, Elly Nickels operates as a subsidiary specializing in demolition, dismantling, hazardous material remediation, and wind turbine decommissioning. Located at Rendsburg headquarters.
• Abbruchverband Nord e.V.industryOthersIndustry association membership for demolition operations. Elly Nickels is a member and received membership confirmation in 2022.
• Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Stahlrecycling- und Entsorgungsunternehmen e.V. (BDSV)nationalOthersGerman steel recycling and waste management industry association at federal level
• Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung e.V. (bvse)nationalOthersFederal association for secondary raw materials and waste management in Germany
• Entsorgergemeinschaft Schleswig-Holstein e.V. (EGSH)regionalOthersRegional industry association 'Zertifiziert auf Zukunft' providing certification and monitoring for waste management facilities in Schleswig-Holstein
• RDRWind e.V.specializedOthersWind energy sector association that Elly Nickels partners with for wind turbine dismantling services

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves22 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Aurubis: Aurubis is a Hamburg-headquartered global leader in non-ferrous metal recycling and smelting, and is a downstream buyer/competitor for the non-ferrous scrap (copper, brass, aluminum) that Ehrich Kiel purchases and resells. Not a direct competitor but a key counterpart in the same value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Umweltservice: Veolia's German subsidiary operates one of the largest waste management service networks in Germany, with capabilities spanning collection, recycling, hazardous waste, and industrial services. Direct overlap with Ehrich's container, recycling, and document destruction offerings, though at vastly greater scale and national coverage.
• ALBA Group: ALBA is a major German recycling and waste management group headquartered in Berlin, with operations across metals, plastics, paper, and electronic waste. Comparable in services offered (scrap purchasing, materials recovery, document destruction via subsidiaries) but operating at substantially larger scale across multiple German states.
• REMONDIS: REMONDIS is one of Germany's largest privately-held waste management and recycling companies, headquartered in Lünen. It operates across all major waste streams including scrap metal, containers, and industrial services with significantly greater geographic density and capital. Historically connected to Ehrich via UTG (container JV, exited 2010).
• SUEZ Deutschland: SUEZ Deutschland operates waste collection, recycling, and disposal services across Germany as part of the global SUEZ group. Competes with Ehrich in commercial and municipal waste contracts, including hazardous waste streams where both hold Entsorgungsfachbetrieb-equivalent certifications.
• Prezero: Prezero is the recycling and environmental services arm of the Schwarz Group (parent of Lidl and Kaufland), formed via the integration of Tönsmeier and other acquisitions. Operates materials recovery facilities and disposal services across Germany with modern digital customer platforms, competing with Ehrich for commercial and municipal contracts.

Regional players

• Stena Recycling: Stena Recycling is a Sweden-based recycling group with operations across Scandinavia, Germany, and other European markets. Offers comparable scrap metal, hazardous waste, and materials recovery services; while based in Sweden, its German footprint puts it in regional overlap with Ehrich's Schleswig-Holstein territory.

Direct peers

• Becker Umweltdienste: Becker Umweltdienste is a mid-sized German waste management and recycling company offering container services, scrap metal processing, and certified disposal services. Closely comparable to Ehrich in scale (regional focus, family ownership, multi-stream recycling, Entsorgungsfachbetrieb status), making it a relevant direct peer for benchmarking.
• Scholz Recycling (Dowa): Scholz Recycling was a major German ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal processor before being acquired by Japan's Dowa Holdings. Direct competitor in automotive shredding and steel scrap trading with similar equipment-intensive operating model, though at much larger European scale.
• Otto Recycling: Otto Recycling is a German regional scrap metal and waste management company offering comparable container, shredding, and certified disposal services. Similar mid-market positioning to Ehrich with regional facility footprint, providing a useful direct peer reference for revenue and valuation benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ehrich_rendsburg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ehrich-gruppe

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries14 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 Ehrlich Group