Our interaction with the natural environment

Waste

9,222

Total waste generated (t)

4,965

Total hazardous waste generated (t)

54%

% hazardous waste diverted

During 2022, Neo generated 9,222 metric tons of waste. Around half of this (48%) was recycled or otherwise diverted from disposal.

 4,965 metric tons qualified as hazardous waste, or 54%, as per local regulatory frameworks. More than half of this hazardous waste was diverted from disposal, or otherwise recycled (2,705 metric tons, or 54%).

Neo also incorporates material recycling in several of its production processes to reduce waste production.

For example, our Magnequench division recovers metal in scrap materials for re-use in rare earth magnetic materials. We also recover scrap magnets from customers to be crushed and re-used in new products. And, as noted above, our Rare Metals division produces several vital rare metal products from processing industrial waste streams and end-of-life products.

Neo’s facilities are eager to minimize waste production, both within their own operations and across the industry, by leveraging innovative solutions. Several of Neo’s facilities have achieved notable success in collaborating with suppliers and customers to recycle and repurpose materials that would otherwise be discarded as waste. This approach not only helps to minimize waste but also promotes a sustainable and circular supply chain.

Examples of innovative solutions and sustainable practices at Neo in 2022 include:

  1. Our Tianjin, China facility diverted 179 tons of magnesia, crucibles, and pouring tanks to manufacturers for recycling and refurbishing. 65 tons of rare earth production wastes were recycled internally. 100% recycling of processing aluminum oxide powder was achieved. 
  2. Working with its customers, our Tianjin facility collected and recycled 42,847 packaging cans, 0.4 tons of wooden pallets, and 85.46 tons of magnetic product wastes. 
  3. Our Jiangyin, China facility achieved 40% reduction of low-radiation slag waste production by mass through implementing an R&D project on waste reduction. 
  4. From 2020-2022, our Peterborough, Canada facility successfully reduced its hazardous waste intensity of rare metal production by 20%. 5. Our Zibo, China facility regenerated 18,759 tons of ammonia from stripping process wastewater. 6. Our Sillamäe, Estonia site reduced waste through recycling of tantalum slag.