Industries generate millions of tons of waste annually, much of it ending up in landfills or polluting ecosystems. But what if waste became the foundation for something new?
ICL is making that vision a reality. As a global leader in specialty minerals and sustainable solutions, ICL integrates circular economy principles into its operations—transforming byproducts into resources, reducing waste, and extending material lifespan. This approach isn’t just about sustainability—it’s about creating value while securing a resilient future for industry and agriculture.
ICL’s 2023 ESG Report highlights significant strides in circularity, from a 17% reduction in hazardous waste to phosphorus recycling initiatives like PuraLoop®, which repurposes wastewater byproducts into high-efficiency fertilizers. Through digital innovation, resource recovery, and strategic waste reduction, ICL is lowering its environmental footprint while achieving $75 million in savings through circular economy efficiencies in 2023.
This article explores how ICL is closing the loop on waste and recycling, proving that a circular economy isn’t just an aspiration—it’s already in action.
ICL’s Strategic Approach to the Circular Economy
At ICL, circularity isn’t just a sustainability goal—it’s a core driver of operational efficiency, resource security, and long-term business resilience. As part of its commitment to sustainable production, ICL has developed a structured approach that minimizes waste, maximizes resource use, and ensures compliance with evolving environmental regulations.
A Structured Approach: The ICL Waste Management Hierarchy
ICL follows a five-tier Waste Management Hierarchy, aligned with international standards such as the European Waste Hierarchy, ISO 14001, and the company’s Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) policies. This framework prioritizes:
- Prevention – Designing processes to minimize raw material consumption and eliminate waste before it is created.
- Reduction – Optimizing operations to reduce byproduct generation and improve material efficiency.
- Recycling – Recovering and reprocessing materials to create new products or reintroduce them into production cycles.
- Recovery – Extracting valuable compounds from industrial byproducts, such as phosphorus from wastewater.
- Responsible Disposal – Ensuring that any remaining waste is managed in compliance with environmental standards and ICL’s EHS commitments.
By prioritizing prevention and reduction, ICL significantly reduces the need for disposal, contributing to a more sustainable and cost-effective production model.
Driving Circular Economy Innovation Through Collaboration
To further advance circularity, ICL actively fosters innovation and cross-regional collaboration through two key platforms:
- Circular Economy Digital Community – An internal knowledge-sharing hub that connects experts across ICL’s operations, enabling the exchange of best practices and circularity-driven solutions.
- Global Circular Economy Forum – A leadership-driven initiative that brings together representatives from different regions to map out new circular economy business opportunities and drive sustainable innovation.
These platforms play a crucial role in accelerating the adoption of circular practices and ensuring that ICL remains at the forefront of industry advancements.
Circular Economy in Fertilizers: Transforming Waste into Value
In agriculture, closing the loop on nutrient cycles is critical for sustainability. ICL applies its circular economy strategy to fertilizers by recovering essential nutrients, such as phosphorus, from waste streams, reducing reliance on finite natural resources while supporting global food security.
PuraLoop®: A Breakthrough in Phosphorus Recycling
As one of the world’s top ten fertilizer manufacturers, ICL leads the way in phosphorus recycling with PuraLoop®, a premium granular fertilizer derived from organic waste streams. This solution helps close the phosphorus cycle by recovering phosphorus from wastewater and upcycling sewage sludge ash (SSA) into a high-quality agricultural input.
With 85% of global phosphorus reserves concentrated in just a few countries, dependence on mined phosphate creates supply chain vulnerabilities. Recovering phosphorus from wastewater and SSA reduces reliance on non-renewable sources, providing farmers with a sustainable alternative. This effort aligns with the EU Fertilizing Products Regulation, ensuring that PuraLoop® meets stringent environmental and safety standards.
Beyond Phosphorus: Advancing Nutrient Recycling
ICL has already completed a phosphorus recycling roadmap and is now expanding its focus to nitrogen recovery. By continuously innovating in nutrient recycling and aligning with global regulations, ICL is proving that circularity in fertilizers is not just about waste reduction—it’s about securing the future of sustainable agriculture.
Waste Reduction Across ICL’s Global Operations
Across its global operations, ICL is implementing targeted waste reduction initiatives, optimizing resource use, and minimizing landfill dependency to advance its circular economy strategy. Through targeted initiatives at sites like ICL Dead Sea, Rotem, and Dead Sea Magnesium (DSM), the company has achieved significant reductions in hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
In 2023, ICL achieved:
- 17% reduction in hazardous waste
- 10% reduction in hazardous landfill waste
- 30% reduction in non-hazardous waste disposal at ICL Rotem
- 5% reduction in non-hazardous waste company-wide
These reductions stem from site-specific innovations like brine extraction, salt repurposing, and secondary raw material use. By prioritizing waste prevention and recycling, ICL continues to advance its circular economy vision while improving operational efficiency.
Financial and Environmental Benefits
ICL’s circular economy strategy is delivering measurable financial and environmental benefits. By optimizing material use and reducing waste, ICL achieved $75 million in savings through its ACE program in 2023 while significantly cutting hazardous and non-hazardous waste. These efforts not only enhance operational efficiency but also support global sustainability goals.
Through the ACE program, ICL has streamlined resource use, reducing operational costs while improving sustainability performance. Waste reduction efforts—including a 17% decrease in hazardous waste and a 10% reduction in landfill disposal—have directly contributed to long-term financial resilience.
Looking ahead, ICL’s Circular Economy Targets emphasize increasing the use of recycled and upcycled fertilizers, aligning economic efficiency with environmental responsibility.
Conclusion: Innovating for a Sustainable Future
ICL is at the forefront of circular economy innovation, transforming waste into value and setting new industry benchmarks in sustainability. Through targeted waste reduction, phosphorus and nitrogen recovery, and digital collaboration, ICL is proving that circularity is not just an environmental responsibility—it’s a competitive advantage.
As industries worldwide seek more sustainable solutions, the need for circular economy adoption has never been greater. By prioritizing resource efficiency and innovation, ICL is demonstrating that sustainability and profitability go hand in hand. Now is the time for action. By embracing circularity, industries can turn waste into opportunity and drive lasting environmental and economic impact.
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