Tradebe

Tradebe
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryWaste management
Founded1980 (1980)
FounderJosep Creixell
HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
Area served
Spain, France, United Kingdom, United States, Oman
Key people
Josep Creixell (Chairman), Victor Creixell (CEO)
ServicesSolvent recycling, automated oil tank cleaning
Websitewww.tradebe.com

Tradebe is a Spanish waste management company based in Barcelona that was established in 1980. It operates in Spain, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Oman.[1] The chairman is Josep Creixell, and the Chief Executive is Victor Creixell.

Tradebe was founded in 1980 and initially focused on solvent recycling and hazardous waste management. Over time, the company expanded its geographic footprint and diversified into additional business areas, including ingredients and nutrition-related activities.[2]

Tradebe operates within the solvent recycling[3] and automated oil tank cleaning markets.[4]

Prosecutions

The company has been prosecuted in the UK. In 2016 it was fined £38,960 after a chemical leak at their Hendon Dock plant in Sunderland. It was prosecuted in 2013 after a spillage of highly flammable liquid at a site in Knottingley. The United States Environmental Protection Agency fined it after environmental violations at the firm’s hazardous waste treatment facilities in Connecticut. Their subsidiary Norlite had to pay around £15,000 for air pollution violations in Cohoes, New York, in 2016.[5]

History

In 2002, shareholders of Tradebe, S.A. approved a partial demerger (escisión parcial) creating Grupo Tradebe Medioambiente, S.L., as published in Spain’s official company registry bulletin (BORME).[6]

Tradebe expanded into the United Kingdom via Willacy Oil Services (later known as Tradebe Refinery Services), initially taking a major shareholding in 2003 and completing a takeover in 2006, according to industry reporting.[7]

The group also expanded in the United States in the late 2000s. In 2008, industry media reported that Pollution Control Industries (PCI) was acquired by the Tradebe Group and would operate under Tradebe Environmental Services.[8] Spain’s development finance institution COFIDES stated that in December 2008 it acquired a minority stake in Tradebe Environmental Services, S.L. as part of Tradebe’s U.S. internationalization strategy.[9]

In 2018, Tradebe was involved in public debate in the UK over clinical waste management following the collapse of Healthcare Environmental Services; MRW reported Tradebe’s statement that there was sufficient UK incineration capacity to meet market demand.[10] In 2019, the BBC reported that Tradebe was to take over clinical waste management in Scotland from August 2019 following the contractor’s collapse.[11]

Acquisitions

  • 2010 – Tradebe acquired the UK clinical waste firm Britcare Ltd.[12][13]
  • 2011 – Tradebe acquired United Industrial Services (UIS) in the United States.[14]
  • 2012 – Tradebe acquired Ecowaste Southwest (Avonmouth) from Stericycle, after a UK competition remedy required the business to be sold.[15]
  • 2013 – Tradebe formed a joint venture with SITA UK for healthcare risk waste services in the UK (Tradebe Healthcare (Holdings) Ltd), which was reviewed by the UK competition authorities.[16]
  • 2014 – Tradebe acquired Solvents with Safety Ltd and Scotoil Services Ltd in the UK.[17]
  • 2017 – Tradebe acquired Badger Disposal (Milwaukee, Wisconsin).[18]
  • 2017 – Tradebe acquired First Response Environmental Group (FREG).[19]
  • 2018 – Tradebe completed the acquisition of Labwaste in the UK.[20][21]
  • 2018 – Tradebe acquired Avanti Environmental Holdings Limited (Avanti).[22]
  • 2018 – Tradebe acquired the industrial waste division of COMSA Medio Ambiente (COMSA Corporación).[23][24]
  • 2018 – The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority transferred land at the Winfrith site to Tradebe Inutec (UK).[25]

In 2022, Tradebe entered the health and wellness segment through the acquisition of the Clinical Nutrition group, according to Expansión.[2]

Sustainability and circular economy projects

In 2025, Tradebe Environmental Services and Greening Group announced a strategic partnership to develop Greening Relive, a photovoltaic solar panel recycling plant in Jerez del Marquesado (Granada, Spain). The project aims to process end-of-life photovoltaic modules and recover materials including glass, aluminium and silicon, and was described as a pioneering initiative in Spain by media outlets including Europa Press and El Canal Marítimo y Logístico.[26][27]

Certifications

In 2022, Tradebe Puerto de Bilbao obtained ISCC certifications (ISCC Plus and ISCC EU) for specific waste-derived products and streams, according to El Canal Marítimo y Logístico.[28]

Business areas

Tradebe’s activities reported by external sources include:

  • Environmental services: industrial waste collection, treatment, recycling and disposal.[26]
  • Life sciences / ingredients: manufacture and distribution of natural ingredient concentrates and extracts (including citrus-derived ingredients following the Florachem acquisition).[29]
  • Port services: storage and logistics of liquid bulk products through Tradebe Port Services. In 2025, the company expanded this division with the acquisition of the Vopak Terquimsa terminal at the Port of Barcelona, adding a facility with 210,155 cubic metres of storage capacity for petroleum and chemical products.[30]
  • Health and nutrition: following the acquisition of Clinical Nutrition in 2022, Tradebe entered the health and wellbeing sector. Clinical Nutrition, based in Argentona (Barcelona), specialises in enteral, sports and dietetic nutrition.[31]

References

  1. ^ "History". Tradebe. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Tradebe entra en salud con la compra de Clinical Nutrition". Expansión (in Spanish). 28 July 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Global Solvent Recycling Market 2019 – Veolia, Clean Planet Chemical, CycleSolv, Tradebe". Global News Journal. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Global Automated Oil Tank Cleaning System Market 2019 – Alfa Laval, Scanjet Group, Tradebe Refinery Services, Schlumberger". Market Research News. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Firm stepping in after NHS clinical waste crisis fined £500k over their own environmental scandals". Daily Record. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  6. ^ "TRADEBE, S. A. (Sociedad escindida) GRUPO TRADEBE MEDIOAMBIENTE, S. L. (Sociedad beneficiaria de la escisión parcial)". boe.es. Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado. 2002. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  7. ^ "New Acquisition for Waste Management Group". Cleansing Service Group (CSG). 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  8. ^ "PCI acquired by Tradebe". WasteTrak. 13 July 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  9. ^ "COFIDES apoya la expansión de Tradebe en EEUU". COFIDES. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Tradebe claims clinical waste capacity is 'sufficient'". MRW. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Waste collection costs double after firm's collapse". BBC News. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Clinical waste firm bought out". TheBusinessDesk.com. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  13. ^ "Britcare snapped up by Tradebe". Insider Media. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  14. ^ "COFIDES increases its stake in Tradebe's American subsidiary" (Press release). COFIDES. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Ecowaste Southwest sold after CC probe". Insider Media. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  16. ^ Completed joint venture between Tradebe Environmental Services Limited and SITA UK Limited – Tradebe Healthcare (Holdings) Limited (clearance decision) (PDF) (Report). Office of Fair Trading (UK Government). 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Tradebe acquires Solvents with Safety Ltd and Scotoil Services Ltd". Resource.co. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Tradebe adquiere Badger Disposal" (Press release). Tradebe. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Tradebe Acquires First Response Environmental Group". Tecnoambiente. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Tradebe announces acquisition of Labwaste". Resource.co. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Tradebe Acquires Hinckley Based Labwaste". Circular Online. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  22. ^ Full text decision: Completed acquisition by Tradebe Environmental Services Limited of Avanti Environmental Holdings Limited (PDF) (Report). Competition and Markets Authority (UK Government). Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  23. ^ "Tradebe acquires the environment business of COMSA Corporación" (Press release). COMSA Corporación. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  24. ^ "Tradebe se hace con el negocio de residuos industriales de COMSA Medio Ambiente". RETEMA. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  25. ^ "Winfrith land transfer secures £1.7 million savings". UK Government (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority). 17 December 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  26. ^ a b "Tradebe Environmental Services y Greening Group sellan una alianza para el reciclaje de paneles solares". Europa Press (in Spanish). 30 September 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Tradebe y Greening Group proyectan en Granada la primera planta de reciclaje de paneles solares de España". El Canal Marítimo y Logístico (in Spanish). 30 September 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  28. ^ "La certificación ISCC, conseguida por Tradebe Bilbao". El Canal Marítimo y Logístico (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  29. ^ "Tradebe fortalece su división de ingredientes y entra en EE.UU". Alimarket (in Spanish). 10 April 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  30. ^ "Tradebe crece en Barcelona con la compra de la terminal portuaria de Vopak Terquimsa". Expansión (in Spanish). 8 September 2025.
  31. ^ "Tradebe entra en salud con la compra de Clinical Nutrition". Expansión (in Spanish). 28 July 2022.
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