Pursuing sustainability in commodity trading

THE rise of sustainability bodes well for international commodity trading house Khaitan International, which aspires to build sustainable business models that support its goal of recycling, and promote the transition to a waste-free circular economy.

Of the three main categories of commodities in which Khaitan is involved, the largest is the metals and scraps category. This accounts for about half of its business, with lead as the top metal.

Through its subsidiary Maptrasco, the company buys scrap metal from scrapyards and sells it to customers who smelt, reuse or convert it to other forms. For example, car batteries are taken apart for the lead they contain, which is smelted and refined to be reused in new car batteries; the plastic casing is recycled to make granules.