Cleantech facility opens in Christchurch

Zethos opens landmark low‑carbon critical minerals refining facility

New Zealand cleantech company Zethos has officially opened its large-scale demonstration facility in Christchurch, marking a major milestone for New Zealand industrial innovation and its role in the global energy transition.

What is the Zethos critical minerals facility?

The 2,500 square metre facility uses a world-first technology developed in New Zealand to extract zinc and other critical minerals from industrial waste streams with dramatically lower cost and carbon emissions compared to existing methods.

“Less than a year ago this was an empty warehouse,” says Jonathan Ring, Zethos CEO. “Today it is the world’s first scale facility producing low-cost low-carbon zinc from steel mill waste.”

The opening brought together senior government leaders, industry executives, investors, and cleantech innovators from New Zealand and beyond, reflecting the national and international significance of the project.

A new approach to critical minerals

Critical minerals such as zinc, copper, nickel, and manganese are essential for modern infrastructure, from renewable energy systems and electric vehicles to data centres and construction. Global demand for these minerals is expected to double over the coming decade, but traditional refining remains constrained by long development timelines and environmental challenges.

Zethos’ patented process addresses these challenges by extracting metals from industrial waste and low-grade feedstocks, delivering up to 50% lower operating costs, 70% lower energy consumption, and up to 95% lower carbon emissions compared to conventional refining methods.

Unlike traditional high-temperature refining, the Zethos platform uses advanced chemistry to operate at lower energy intensity, reducing capital cost and energy consumption compared to existing methods.

A first for New Zealand industry

The Christchurch demonstration plant establishes New Zealand’s only domestic source of high-grade zinc, while also producing copper, nickel, and other valuable co-products.

Beyond its technical capabilities, the facility highlights a broader opportunity: converting hazardous industrial waste into export-grade materials, while supporting New Zealand’s emissions reduction goals and advanced manufacturing capabilities.

Christchurch’s growing cleantech sector

Cleantech is one of five key growth sectors identified by economic development agency ChristchurchNZ as critical to the city’s future prosperity.

This focus on high growth sectors is designed to deliver billions of dollars in economic impact over the next decade, while lifting productivity and long-term regional resilience.

Building a global platform from Christchurch

Zethos has scaled rapidly since its founding in 2021 from laboratory research to pilot operations and now to a large-scale demonstration facility. The company has raised $16 million NZD in funding and employs a growing team of engineers, scientists, and operators.

The Christchurch facility will act as a near commercial proving ground, supporting optimisation and validation ahead of international rollout into the estimated $500 billion USD global critical minerals refining market.

About Zethos

Zethos is a New Zealand-founded cleantech company developing next-generation critical mineral refining technology. Its platform enables the recovery of valuable metals from industrial waste and low-grade resources with significantly reduced cost, energy use, and emissions.

Key takeaways

• Zethos has opened a world first low carbon critical minerals refinery in Christchurch
• The facility produces low carbon zinc and other critical minerals from industrial waste
• The technology delivers lower cost, lower energy use, and drastically reduced emissions
• The project strengthens Christchurch’s position as a global cleantech innovation hub.