White Metal

What White Metal does

Métal Blanc is a privately held French industrial recycler operating from a single site in Bourg-Fidèle, in the Ardennes (Grand Est) region of northeastern France, where it has been active since at least 2017 and historically dates to 1947. The company's core function is the conversion of spent lead-acid batteries and other lead-bearing industrial waste into high-purity secondary refined lead, certified under London Metal Exchange grades PB970R (99.97%) and PB985R (99.985%), alongside a portfolio of technical lead alloys including antimonial, calcium, Pb-Sb, Pb-Sn, and Pb-Cu variants, with custom formulations available on request.

The underlying technology is an integrated, single-site pyrometallurgical chain: secure shredding and sorting of spent batteries, controlled smelting with gas capture and treatment, refining in closed filtered kettles, and casting into LME-grade ingots. The facility holds upper-tier Seveso classification, ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 / 50001 certifications, EN50307:2002 compliance for cable alloys, and operates under a 2017 Prefectoral Order, with the company claiming 100% recovery of contained lead and full recovery of plastics, acids, metals, and sludges.

Commercially, Métal Blanc runs an enterprise B2B direct-sales model targeting European industrial buyers across battery manufacturing (its primary segment), cable sheathing, construction and ballast, medical and radiation shielding, and rolled-lead production, with 95% of output exported across at least France, the UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of refined lead ingots and custom alloys, supplemented by purchasing and processing of secondary raw materials from industrial waste and regulated collection schemes. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is established via custom industrial quotations based on lead content, alloy specification, and order volume.

Name

White Metal

Legal name

Métal Blanc

Website

https://metalblanc.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Métal Blanc is a French industrial recycler that converts spent lead-acid batteries and lead-bearing waste into LME-certified secondary refined lead (PB970R, PB985R) and technical alloys, supplying European battery, cable, construction, medical, and rolled-lead manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lead Recycling and Secondary Refined Lead Manufacturing

NAICS

Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum) (331492)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)

akta.pro primary industry

Lead-Acid Battery Recycling (Breaking, Smelting, Refining) (EUAIAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Battery Scrap & Recycling Feedstock (Lead-Acid, Li-ion Black Mass Feedstock, NiMH) (IMAKAMAH)

Keywords

• Lead battery recycling
• Secondary refined lead
• Lead alloy production
• Non-ferrous metal recovery
• Pyrometallurgical refining

Headquarters

HQ city

Bourg-fidèle

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Secondary Refined Lead Sales: Sale of recycled refined lead ingots (PB970R and PB985R) and technical lead alloys to European industrial manufacturers. Revenue derived from processing spent lead-acid batteries and lead-bearing waste into high-purity secondary raw materials.
2. Custom Lead Alloy Sales: Production and sale of specialized lead alloys including antimonial lead, calcium lead, Pb-Sb, Pb-Ca, Pb-Sn, and custom formulations for battery manufacturing, cable production, ballast, radiation shielding, and rolled lead applications.
3. Raw Material Purchasing and Processing: Purchase of secondary raw materials from industrial waste and regulated collection schemes, processing them into refined products for resale.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Métal Blanc operates a single-site pyrometallurgical recycling facility in Bourg-Fidèle, France, that processes spent lead-acid batteries and lead-bearing industrial waste into LME-certified secondary refined lead (PB970R at 99.97% purity and PB985R at 99.985% purity) and technical lead alloys. The company sells these refined products and custom alloy formulations to European battery, cable, construction, medical, and rolled-lead manufacturers as secondary raw materials, with 100% of contained lead and 100% of plastics, acids, metals, and sludges recovered and reinjected into European industry.

Product overview

Métal Blanc operates as a single-site industrial facility offering lead recycling and secondary lead production. The core offering consists of two LME-certified secondary refined lead grades (PB970R at 99.97% purity and PB985R at 99.985% purity), complemented by a range of technical lead alloys including antimonial lead and calcium lead variants. Custom alloy formulations are also produced. The integrated service encompasses the complete recycling chain: collection of spent lead-acid batteries, secure shredding and sorting, pyrometallurgical smelting, refining in closed filtered kettles, and casting into LME-certified ingots. All finished products serve industrial applications including starter and traction batteries, cable manufacturing, ballast, radiation shielding, and rolled lead production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PB970R Secondary Refined Lead

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of contained lead is recovered from processed materials
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FEDEM (Fédération des Entreprises de la Métallurgie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench metal industry federation representing and supporting metal sector companies. Membership provides industry representation, advocacy, and networking within the French and European metals industry.
• FEDERRECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench recycling federation representing companies in the resource recovery sector. Membership supports circular economy initiatives and provides industry representation.
• International Lead Association (ILA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal industry association representing lead producers and users worldwide. Membership provides access to industry standards, best practices, regulatory guidance, and international networking.
• UIMM ArdennescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chamber of the French metal industries union (Union des Industries et Métiers de la Métallurgie). Provides regional industry representation, training support, and workforce development initiatives.
• CSS Locale (Commission de Suivi de Site)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal site monitoring commission comprising local residents, associations, and authorities. Ensures ongoing dialogue between the facility and surrounding community regarding environmental and safety matters.
• Pôle Formation UIMM Champagne-ArdenneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining center of the French metal industries union providing vocational training and skills development for industrial workers. Métal Blanc partners for employee certification and continuous training programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Campine: Campine operates a lead and antimony recycling plant in Belgium, producing refined lead and lead-antimony alloys from used batteries — highly comparable process, geography and customer set.
• Recylex: Recylex is a French-headquartered group historically active in lead recycling and non-ferrous metal recovery, directly comparable to Métal Blanc in geography, customer base and product mix.
• Eco-Bat Technologies: Eco-Bat is a Western European-based secondary lead producer operating multiple smelters and refining plants; it is the closest direct peer to Métal Blanc in lead-acid battery recycling and LME-grade refined lead production.

Broad incumbents

• Aurubis: Aurubis is a major European non-ferrous metals smelter and refiner with multi-metal recycling exposure; it serves as a broad incumbent in secondary metals refining including lead-bearing streams.
• Glencore: Glencore is a global commodities trader and producer with significant lead mining, smelting and recycling operations; it shapes LME lead pricing and competes broadly in secondary lead supply.
• Boliden: Boliden is a Swedish metals producer with integrated smelters and electronics/lead recycling; it competes broadly in non-ferrous refining and recovered-metal supply across Europe.
• Umicore: Umicore is a Belgian materials technology and recycling group active in non-ferrous metal recovery and refining; its recycling business intersects with Métal Blanc's circular-economy positioning.

Others

• Clarios: Clarios is the world's largest automotive battery manufacturer and the largest consumer of secondary lead; it is a key downstream customer and an important adjacent industry participant for any lead-acid recycler.

Emerging players

• Befesa: Befesa specializes in steel dust and salt slag recycling with growing exposure to lead-bearing industrial residues; it is a thematic peer in hazardous industrial waste valorization.

Regional players

• Sarpi Mineurs: Sarpi, the hazardous-waste subsidiary of Veolia operating a lead recovery plant in France, is a regional peer processing lead-bearing industrial waste in a comparable regulatory and customer environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metal-blanc

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 White Metal