Success Story | Treibacher

🌍 Treibacher’s journey—spanning over a century—demonstrates transformation from pioneering scientific roots to global prominence without compromising its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and social responsibility.

🌟 Origins & Vision: From Auer von Welsbach to Global Leadership

• Founded in 1898 Treibacher began as "Carl Auer von Welsbach'sche Werke". It built its reputation as a development partner and reliable supplier of materials for the most stringent requirements in the inorganic chemistry and metallurgy sectors.

🔬 Innovation & Global Reach

• Treibacher high-performance materials can be found in many demanding applications, such as in the pharmaceutical industry , the aviation and aerospace industries, the automotive industry, the electronics industry, the steel industry, the carbide industry, biomedicine, water purification and catalysts.

• Treibacher exports roughly 70% of its output, reaching customers across Europe, Asia, North and South America.

• In 2024, with around 900 employees, it generated a revenue of €589 million.

♻️ Sustainability & Circular Economy Leadership

• Treibacher has been part of circular economy since the 1970ies, recovering vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum from spent catalysts (petroleum industry) since 2000. The recycling processes yield a remarkable >99% recovery rate, saving over 500,000 tons of ore annually—equivalent to about 25,000 truckloads—contributing to EU-critical resource security.

• Construction of the new RC2 recycling plant began three years ago with an investment of €130 million.

• At the end of 2023, Treibacher opened its own Energy Park, Carinthia’s largest solar PV installation covering 7 hectares with a capacity of 7.3 MW. The park supplies renewable electricity equivalent to the needs of around 2,400 households and covers up to 10% of Treibacher’s own power requirements.