Paladin Envirotech today announced the signing of a new strategic initiative with investor and strategic partner Daeheung M&T, headquartered in Suwon, South Korea, and the expansion of its European operations in Helmond, Netherlands following the acquisition of R&L Recycling, to shore up allied and ex-China rare earth element supply chains.

The announcements mark a significant step in Paladin’s international growth strategy, bringing total investment in global expansion to $85 million to date. This positions the company to deploy its RECapture rare earth recovery capabilities and expand deployment of its rare earth recycling technology developed by joint venture partner Critical Minerals Recycling, Inc. (CMR) across allied markets.

“Globally, there is a clear shift beyond extraction towards building end-to-end, resilient supply chains capable of withstanding geopolitical disruption,” said Luke Wray, VP of Critical Minerals & Defense at Paladin. “Through our partnerships in South Korea and the Netherlands, we are extending that control across allied markets, ensuring that critical materials are captured, retained, and reintegrated within trusted supply chains. By 2035, demand for magnetic rare earth elements is projected to triple, making this work increasingly urgent.”

The announcements come amid accelerating global alignment on critical materials security. The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act sets a 2030 target to limit reliance on any single third country to 65% of supply; while US-led partnerships are advancing regional processing, “friend-shored” supply chains and more resilient allied industrial bases.

At the same time, South Korea is advancing a national strategy to reduce import dependence and scale recycling of key materials—including rare earths—through new infrastructure and a strengthened resource security framework. The strategic initiative with Daeheung M&T directly supports this effort, marking a first-of-its-kind deployment of rare earth magnet recycling capabilities in the country. The partnership will enable the domestic sourcing, aggregation and processing of end-of-life magnet materials—building the logistics and feedstock systems needed to support local refining, an area where South Korea has historically relied on external markets.

“South Korea has long been a leader in advanced manufacturing, but like many nations, it has depended on external supply chains for critical materials,” said Jaehyun Han, Chairman and CEO of Daeheung M&T. “By partnering with Paladin, we are introducing a capability proven through US operations into the Korean market—one that enables domestic recovery and refining of rare earth materials while reducing reliance on imports.”

Daeheung M&T, a 30-year leader in hydrometallurgical processing of precious metal-bearing materials, will work alongside Paladin and CMR to deploy rare earth recycling capabilities into its existing operations, including Paladin and CMR’s proprietary processing technology, technical training, and the development of localized facilities and equipment to support rare earth magnet recovery and recycling at scale.

Beyond initial deployment, the companies will explore commercialization pathways for recovered materials—including processing, refining and distribution within South Korea and into broader allied markets—while collaborating on regulatory engagement, permitting and industry partnerships.

In parallel, Paladin is expanding its European footprint in Helmond, Netherlands, which will serve as a strategic hub for recovering and processing critical materials within the European market, supporting both commercial and defense-aligned supply chains across the region.

“Circular supply chains are a global strategic imperative,” said Brian Diesselhorst, Chief Executive Officer at Paladin Envirotech. “What we are building is an integrated system that keeps high-value materials within allied economies, reduces dependency on adversarial supply chains, and provides a secure, auditable pathway from end-of-life assets back into manufacturing.”

The expansion into South Korea and the Netherlands reflects a broader strategy to establish distributed recovery and processing hubs across the United States and allied nations, aligned with growing demand from hyperscalers, manufacturers and defense contractors seeking secure, closed-loop supply chains at the behest of government and policy initiatives.

ABOUT PALADIN ENVIROTECH

Founded in 2025, Paladin EnviroTech is a secure technology lifecycle management company helping organizations retire end-of-life technology safely, compliantly, and at scale. The company provides IT asset disposition (ITAD), certified data destruction, asset recovery, and electronics recycling services through a single end-to-end platform. Serving hyperscalers, government agencies, and enterprise customers across North America,Europe, and Asia, Paladin protects sensitive data, maximizes asset value, and advances circular-economy objectives through responsible technology management.

Working with joint venture partner Critical Materials Recycling (CMR), Paladin is working to strengthen global critical-material supply chains through the recovery of rare earth elements and strategic materials from end-of-life electronics and manufacturing waste. Through CMR’s exclusive and patented Advanced Dissolution Recycling (ADR) technology, the partnership provides a scalable and environmentally responsible alternative to traditional mining. Together, the organizations help keep valuable materials in circulation, reduce reliance on foreign sources, and support U.S. and allied manufacturing, energy, defense, and technology sectors.

ABOUT DAEHEUNG

Daeheung is a South Korea–based metals recycling and smelting company specializing in the recovery and refining of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium from electronic scrap, industrial waste, spent catalysts, and waste solutions. The company operates advanced processing and analytical facilities, including automated crushing, wet recovery, electrolytic refining, and fire‑assay laboratories, serving customers across the electronics, semiconductor, automotive, and petrochemical industries with an emphasis on environmentally responsible resource recovery.

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Contact

Isaac Steinmetz
paladin-envirotech@antennagroup.com