Groupe Ecotrade

What Groupe Ecotrade does

Groupe Ecotrade is a privately-held Malaysian company that purchases and recycles spent automotive catalytic converters, serving individual vehicle owners, auto dismantlers, scrap yards, generators (auto shops and fleet operators), collectors, and industrial refiners globally. The business operates as a digital-first platform combining a 20,000+ item online catalog and the Eco Cat mobile app (iOS, Android, Huawei) with traditional field operations including on-site purchasing, DHL-coordinated home pickup, and laboratory analysis. Underlying the platform is a proprietary dataset built over more than 20 years of transactions, integrated with live platinum, palladium, and rhodium market pricing that is updated multiple times daily.

The revenue model spans multiple streams: transactional purchase of spent converters (priced dynamically against PGM content), toll refining for large quantities (with material remaining under client ownership), laboratory analysis including XRF, ICP, and fire assay services, and precious metal management and hedging services. Analytical capability is anchored in XRF spectrometry and ICP/fire assay methods, supported by an Olympus authorized-dealer relationship for handheld XRF equipment and IPMI membership. The platform is free to register and accessible in 20+ languages, with no minimum order size, distributing through website, mobile apps, and field purchasing.

The company extends beyond core catalytic converter recycling through complementary modules such as a toll refining calculator and a beta WEEE platform (weee.ecotradegroup.com) targeting waste electrical and electronic equipment, indicating deliberate expansion of the recycling platform into adjacent circular-economy verticals. Strategic partners include DHL for logistics, Stripe for payments, Olympus for analytical equipment, and the three major mobile app stores for distribution.

Name

Groupe Ecotrade

Legal name

Ecotrade Group (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Website

https://ecotradegroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Groupe Ecotrade is a privately-held Malaysian company that purchases and recycles spent automotive catalytic converters globally. It serves individual vehicle owners, dismantlers, and refiners through a 20,000+ item digital catalog, the Eco Cat mobile app, toll refining, and laboratory analysis services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catalytic Converter Recycling

NAICS

Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing (325180)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAIAJAG

Catalytic Converter Recycling & Precious Metals Recovery (PGM)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/Scrap Metal & End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Recycling

SECONDARYIMAEAIAM

Catalyst Recovery, Regeneration & Reclamation Services

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Chemicals & Industrial Materials/Catalysts & Adsorbents

SECONDARYIMAKAMAI

Catalyst & Precious Metal Scrap Recycling (Auto Catalysts, Refinery/Petrochemical Catalysts)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Metals & Mining/Scrap Metal & Recycling (Ferrous & Non-Ferrous)

SECONDARYIMAEAIAN

Precious Metals & Catalyst Materials (PGM Catalysts)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Chemicals & Industrial Materials/Catalysts & Adsorbents

SECONDARYBPALAHAJ

Process Residue & Catalyst Handling/Recycling

Business & Public Services/Waste Management & Remediation Services/Industrial & Chemical Waste Management

Keywords

• Catalytic converter recycling
• Scrap catalyst pricing
• Precious metal recovery
• Toll refining services
• Automotive catalyst recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Pajam

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Purchase of Spent Catalytic Converters: Ecotrade purchases spent catalytic converters from generators, collectors, and processors at prices based on real-time precious metal (PGM) content. The company has been recycling catalytic converters for over 20 years and maintains a comprehensive catalog to assess value.
2. Toll Refining Services: For large quantities, Ecotrade offers toll refining using state-of-the-art sampling processes. The refined material remains under customer ownership for final sale.
3. Laboratory Analysis Services: Individual piece analysis and ICP/Fire assay testing services for precise precious metal content determination
4. Precious Metal Management: Hedging and management services for precious metals obtained from catalytic converter processing

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Groupe Ecotrade purchases spent automotive catalytic converters from individuals, dismantlers, and collectors at prices tied to live platinum, palladium, and rhodium (PGM) market rates. The company provides a free-access catalog of 20,000+ catalytic converter codes with images and real-time pricing via website and the Eco Cat mobile application, and offers toll refining, laboratory analysis (XRF, ICP, fire assay), and precious metal management for larger commercial volumes.

Product overview

Ecotrade Group operates as a catalytic converter recycling platform with a modular product architecture. The core offering consists of the Online Catalytic Converter Catalogue (with 20,000+ items) and the Eco Cat mobile application, which together provide real-time pricing and identification of scrap catalytic converters. Supporting these core digital products are a suite of service modules including on-site purchasing, DHL shipping logistics, fast settlement payments, toll refining with sampling, and laboratory analysis services (ICP/Fire Assay). The company also offers precious metal management and hedging services. All components are unified by live PGM (platinum, palladium, rhodium) market price monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eco Cat App: Mobile application to identify catalytic converters through codes, pictures, and brands; provides real-time pricing for scrap catalytic converters.

Products and services

• Eco Cat Mobile App Mobile application for identifying catalytic converters by code, picture, or brand, providing real-time pricing for over 20,000 items with color pictures; available to individual sellers, dismantlers, and collectors worldwide.
• Online Catalytic Converter Catalogue Free-access web catalogue listing 20,000+ scrap catalytic converter codes with prices and images, searchable by car brand or manufacturer; used by individual sellers and businesses to value spent converters.
• On-Site Catalytic Converter Purchasing Service in which Ecotrade purchasers physically visit a seller's premises to sort and assess the value of used catalytic converters; offered to businesses and high-volume sellers.
• DHL Home Pick-up Service Logistics service through DHL that collects scrap catalytic converters from the seller's address and delivers them to Ecotrade for valuation and purchase.
• Fast Settlement Payment Service Payment service guaranteeing fast and full settlement of the agreed price once a catalytic converter has been valued; backed by Stripe-powered payment processing.
• Toll Refining Service Refining service for large-volume catalytic converter batches using advanced sampling methodology; the refined precious-metal-bearing material remains under the client's ownership for their final sale.
• Catalyst Analysis (Single Piece) Laboratory analysis of individual catalytic converter pieces to determine precious metal content; used by collectors, dismantlers, and processors needing precise valuations.
• ICP Analysis / Fire Assay Advanced analytical testing using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and fire assay methodologies for laboratory-grade accuracy in precious metal content determination; targeted at refiners and processors.
• Precious Metal Management Service for hedging and managing precious metal positions (platinum, palladium, rhodium) obtained from catalytic converter recycling; offered to commercial clients with exposure to PGM markets.
• Toll Refining Calculator Online comparison tool that allows users to evaluate and compare toll refining service options for catalytic converter batches.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prices updated 3 times daily to reflect current PGM market values
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• DHLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHL provides home pickup services for shipping scrap catalytic converters to Ecotrade, enabling convenient collection from sellers regardless of location. This partnership ensures logistics reliability for the recycling supply chain.
• OlympuscoreTechnology or IntegrationEcotrade is an Olympus authorized dealer for handheld XRF analyzers used in catalytic converter analysis. This partnership ensures access to professional-grade analytical equipment for accurate precious metal content determination.
• IPMI (International Precious Metals Institute)supportingOthersEcotrade Group is an IPMI Member, indicating membership in the International Precious Metals Institute which sets standards and best practices for the precious metals industry.
• Google PlaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEco Cat App distributed through Google Play Store, reaching Android users globally for catalytic converter identification services.
• Apple App StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEco Cat App distributed through Apple App Store, reaching iOS users globally for catalytic converter identification services.
• Huawei AppGallerysupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEco Cat App distributed through Huawei AppGallery as an alternative app store for users in regions where Google Play is not available.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe provides payment processing infrastructure for secure transactions, enabling fast and reliable payment settlement for catalytic converter purchases.
• DMCA.comsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDMCA.com provides content protection services for the Ecotrade website, protecting intellectual property and catalog content.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sabin Metal Corporation: North American precious-metal refiner with a dedicated catalytic converter recycling and PGM recovery business, directly comparable in toll refining and assay service lines.
• PGM Recovery Inc: U.S.-based buyer and refiner of spent automotive catalysts offering toll refining and PGM analysis — directly competing for the same auto dismantler and scrap yard supply base.
• Sentron Metals: Specializes in catalytic converter and precious metal scrap recycling with toll refining and lab analysis services — closely overlapping Ecotrade's core procurement, refining and assay offerings.
• Eco-Bat Technologies: One of the world's largest recyclers of lead-acid batteries that also operates a global catalytic converter recycling business; most direct comparison to Ecotrade's spent-catalyst procurement and refining model.
• Duesmann & Hensel: German-based recycler of catalytic converters and precious-metal-bearing scrap with European collection and refining capabilities — a directly comparable regional-to-global recycler.

Broad incumbents

• Johnson Matthey: Global precious metals and catalyst specialist with PGM recycling and refining operations as part of a much broader chemicals portfolio; competes with Ecotrade for spent-catalyst supply but at vastly larger scale.
• Umicore: Belgian materials technology group with a major precious-metals recycling and refining business including automotive catalysts; the largest integrated incumbent in the same value chain as Ecotrade.
• BASF Catalysts: Global chemicals giant whose Catalysts division includes PGM-based emission catalysts and associated precious-metals recovery capabilities; competes broadly for the same recovered-PGM feedstock pool.
• Heraeus Precious Metals: Large German precious-metals group running PGM refining and recycling services alongside industrial products; overlaps with Ecotrade's toll refining and assay offerings within a much wider business.

Emerging players

• Catalytic Combustion Corporation: U.S. niche participant in catalyst recycling and emissions-control materials; a smaller, focused participant with overlapping buyer activity into the spent-catalyst stream that Ecotrade serves.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ScrapCatalytics
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecotrade.group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecotrade-group

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Groupe Ecotrade