ScrapBees GmbH—known under the brand name SchrottBienen as a provider of innovative recycling solutions for tradespeople and businesses—has successfully completed another round of financing totaling 4 million euros. In addition to new investors NRW.BANK and EIT RawMaterials, Munich-based impact investor BONVENTURE and a number of business angels are once again participating in the financing round. With the new capital, ScrapBees aims to expand its business and services, tap into new regions, and solidify its role as an effective service provider and partner for the skilled trades sector.
Growing shortages of raw materials and the shift toward green steel require that resources no longer needed be returned to the cycle promptly and, as far as possible, sorted by type. With its digital approach and a dedicated workforce, ScrapBees brings transparent recycling solutions directly to customers. To achieve this, ScrapBees handles the entire first leg of the recycling process logistically on its own—from the construction site to the buyer of the sorted materials.
Thilo Hamm, co-founder of ScrapBees, explains:
“Given the shortage of skilled workers, many trades businesses appreciate what we offer, as we provide effective and reliable support to their employees directly on construction sites. We not only remove old heating systems from basements, but also help install new ones, for example, and handle the recycling of all construction waste generated on site. In the plumbing trade, we’ve set out to become the backbone of the heating transition. With the new capital and the trust of our investors, we want to continue exactly where we left off and integrate our services as seamlessly as possible into the workflows of trades businesses across many industries.”
Bernd Schäfer, CEO and Managing Director of EIT RawMaterials, explains:
“EIT RawMaterials is proud to support ScrapBees in developing innovative recycling solutions that promote the circular economy and reduce CO₂ emissions. Their forward-thinking approach to raw materials recycling aligns perfectly with our mission to strengthen sustainability and innovation in the European raw materials sector. We look forward to continuing to support and advance their further growth and impact.”
Nikolaj Klebert, Investment Director at BONVENTURE, Germany’s first impact investment firm, emphasizes:
“Since we invested in the seed round just under two years ago, the founding team has succeeded in building a remarkable organization whose offerings have been very well received in the market. We look forward to supporting their drive for innovation and continued growth.”
Johanna Antonie Tjaden-Schulte, a member of the Executive Board of NRW.BANK, says:
“The startup ScrapBees systematizes the collection of scrap metal at construction sites and ensures that as much of the scrap metal as possible is returned to the raw materials cycle. Ideas like this make an important contribution to a functioning circular economy and to the sustainable transformation of North Rhine-Westphalia. That is why NRW.BANK is supporting this young company with growth capital.”
Through its work in the plumbing, heating, and air conditioning (PHAC) industry, the startup ScrapBees is helping to achieve climate goals.
“If 500,000 heat pumps are to be installed in Germany every year, that also means about 300 kilograms of scrap metal each time. Compared to traditional recycling, our process saves 230 kilograms of CO2 per metric ton collected,”
says Florian Kriependorf, co-founder of ScrapBees.
About 400 of SchrottBienen’s more than 900 business customers come from the PHAC sector. Among others, the startup partners with the GC Group, one of the leading wholesalers for building services equipment. The goal of this partnership is to make the trades more efficient and thereby accelerate the heating transition in Germany and beyond. SchrottBienen provides its services in all major metropolitan regions of Germany. The startup maintains its own fleet of over 30 vehicles and employs all drivers on a permanent basis. As a result, services can be delivered reliably, on a recurring basis, and with absolute punctuality—a crucial factor in working with trades companies.
Companies can easily request the service via email, phone, WhatsApp, or the website and have their materials picked up on the desired date. The material is analyzed, weighed, and digitally recorded on-site. Electronic disposal certificates are part of the standard process, and customers receive a credit for valuable materials. ScrapBees sells the collected material—as sorted as possible and with clearly documented origin—to a network of national dealers and processors.
Over the next twelve months, ScrapBees plans to gradually roll out its services under the SchrottBienen brand throughout Germany.
Thilo Hamm explains:
“More than 400 customers in the PHAC sector, including many national providers, already rely on our solutions as an integral part of their processes. Together with them, we are aiming for strong growth and plan to expand further by acquiring new customers. In addition, we want to help companies in other industries by providing our efficient recycling services, so they can focus more on their core business.”