Tradebe

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. 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.

Tradebe operates within the solvent recycling and automated oil tank cleaning markets.

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.

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).

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.

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. 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.

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. In 2019, the BBC reported that Tradebe was to take over clinical waste management in Scotland from August 2019 following the contractor’s collapse.

Acquisitions

• 2010 – Tradebe acquired the UK clinical waste firm Britcare Ltd.

• 2011 – Tradebe acquired United Industrial Services (UIS) in the United States.

• 2012 – Tradebe acquired Ecowaste Southwest (Avonmouth) from Stericycle, after a UK competition remedy required the business to be sold.

• 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.

• 2014 – Tradebe acquired Solvents with Safety Ltd and Scotoil Services Ltd in the UK.

• 2017 – Tradebe acquired Badger Disposal (Milwaukee, Wisconsin).

• 2017 – Tradebe acquired First Response Environmental Group (FREG).

• 2018 – Tradebe completed the acquisition of Labwaste in the UK.

• 2018 – Tradebe acquired Avanti Environmental Holdings Limited (Avanti).

• 2018 – Tradebe acquired the industrial waste division of COMSA Medio Ambiente (COMSA Corporación).

• 2018 – The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority transferred land at the Winfrith site to Tradebe Inutec (UK).

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

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.

Business areas

Tradebe’s activities reported by external sources include:

• Environmental services: industrial waste collection, treatment, recycling and disposal.

• Life sciences / ingredients: manufacture and distribution of natural ingredient concentrates and extracts (including citrus-derived ingredients following the Florachem acquisition).

• 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.

• 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.

References