UK-headquartered recycling specialist Reconomy has reported a 30 per cent increase in the amount of customer material it managed in 2025.
The company, which provides waste, recycling and resource management services, increased the amount of material it handled to almost 8.5 million tonnes, from 6.5m/t in 2024.
It set out the figures in its annual ‘Sustainability Report 2025’ alongside its updated sustainability strategy, Action: 2030.
Across the total material managed in 2025, Reconomy said more than 6.8m/t was reused or recycled.
Reconomy also reported progress across emissions, energy use and operational efficiency metrics as part of its wider sustainability reporting, adding that its activities contributed to shifting Earth Overshoot Day by 15 minutes, compared with 12 minutes in 2024.
The report included a figure described as the company’s circularity gap, which it put at 70 per cent. Reconomy said this figure is based on its assessment of material flows within its operations, comparing material kept in use through reuse or recycling with total material handled.
It also compared the figure with a global circularity gap estimate of 93.1 per cent.
Technology investment
The report highlighted £30 million ($40.3m) of technology investment over three years, including expansion of its RecoTek technology centre in Bucharest, development of a unified data platform for its UK Recycle businesses, and the launch of CircuLab, a sustainability innovation hub in Bucharest.
In its climate performance, Reconomy reported a 2 per cent reduction in combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions compared with 2024, and a 17 per cent reduction against its 2021 baseline.
It also noted a 37 per cent reduction in combined Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions intensity against baseline levels.
The company said 94.5 per cent of its global electricity use came from renewable sources in 2025, while 97 per cent of its vehicle fleet consisted of electric vehicles or hybrids.
On people and community impact, 22.7 per cent of employees volunteered a total of 2,949 hours. The company committed 0.5 per cent of profit before tax to community investment and delivered 23,072 hours of training.
Meanwhile, Reconomy said 69.6 per cent of supplier spend went to small and medium sized enterprises. It assessed 960 suppliers through 2,425 site visits as part of its supply chain oversight.
‘Major milestone’
And on governance, 90 per cent of employees are said to have completed modern slavery training while 96 per cent completed cyber security training.
Guy Wakeley, Reconomy chief executive, said: “A major milestone during the year was our significant investment in technology, data, research, and digital capabilities, including the launch of CircuLab, which is transforming our ability to scale circular solutions and provide customers with clearer, data-driven insights into their circularity performance.
“This comes at a time when the need for greater circularity, along with the decoupling of business growth from the extraction of finite virgin materials, has never been more pressing. By maximising the reuse and recycling of existing materials, businesses can strengthen supply chain resilience, reduce waste and achieve long-term sustainable, profitable growth.”
Diane Crowe, Reconomy group sustainability director, said: “While we are proud of the progress made during the year, we remain focused on continuously improving how we create value across our environmental, social, and responsible business areas.
“Our sustainability strategy, Action: 2030 marks an important next step in this decisive decade for sustainability, enabling us to lead by example and continue driving progress towards a more resilient, resource‑efficient future.”
Watch Diane Crowe introduce the report below.
