Noerr advises Saubermacher Group on full takeover of battery recycling service provider GRS Service

A Noerr team led by Christian Dolff and Katrin Andrä has advised the Saubermacher Group on its acquisition of a 49.9% stake in Gemeinsames Rücknahmesystem Servicegesellschaft mbH from Stiftung GRS Batterien. Saubermacher and Stiftung GRS Batterien had previously operated GRS Service as a joint venture. Following Saubermacher’s acquisition of the remaining shares, GRS Service is now wholly owned by the internationally active waste management and recycling group.

As a specialised service provider for battery producers, GRS Service provides efficient and safe take‑back solutions that help its customers meet their product responsibility obligations as battery producers and distributors under the German Batteries Act in a sustainable way. GRS Service supplies retailers, public waste management authorities, commercial businesses and public institutions with collection and transport containers for batteries and then collects, sorts and recycles the waste batteries.

Based in Feldkirchen near Graz, Austria, the Saubermacher Group serves as a waste management and recycling partner for around 1,600 municipalities and approximately 42,000 companies. The group employs about 4,000 staff in eight European countries.

Advisors to the Saubermacher Group: Noerr

Lead: Christian Dolff (partner, Corporate Litigation, Düsseldorf), Katrin Andrä (partner, M&A, Berlin)

Corporate Litigation: Christian Balzer (counsel, Düsseldorf), Mohammed Ali El-Taki (senior associate, Hamburg), Nils Althoff (associate, Düsseldorf)

Mergers & Acquisitions: Lilli Frederike Sachse (senior associate), Jonas Kayser (associate, both Berlin)

Antitrust & Competition: Markus Brösamle (associated partner), Jens Goblirsch (senior associate, both Berlin), Jan-Hendrik Fitzl (senior associate, Hamburg)

Employment & Pensions: Marco Tucci (partner), Gregor Pingel (associate, both Munich)