The Umicore site in Hoboken has its origins in 1887. The German companies Metallgesellschaft and Degussa founded the Société Générale Metallurgique along the banks of the Scheldt to extract silver from concentrates and byproducts of lead-containing ores. With further industrial development of the area in the nineteenth and twentieth century, alongside the arrival of shipyards and other factories, housing often developed in the immediate vicinity of the growing industries.
The site and the neighborhood, made up of the districts Moretusburg and Hertogvelden,have grown increasingly closer over time, to the point where they bordered each other. In 1958, houses were built on Curie Street, which is right next to the site.
Why a green zone?
The proximity of industry and residential areas brings challenges. The semi-annual blood lead measurements, carried out by the Provincial Institute of Hygiene (PIH) of the province of Antwerp, show that children who live closest to the site, in zone 1, have higher blood values on average than children who live further away.
The Umicore site in Hoboken is committed to limiting the impact of its activities on the neighborhood as much as possible, both through environmental measures on-site and with the creation of a green zone. This structural and sustainable measure will create distance between the adjacent residential area and our Hoboken site.
A wetland forest of about six hectares
The green zone covers a total of about six hectares. One hectare of greenery was created within the walls of our factory site in the spring of 2021, on the side of the residential area. Adjacent to the site lies a wetland forest of approximately five hectares.
The planting of this marshy area with native tree species started at the end of 2024 and was completed in 2025.
The green zone will not be publicly accessible.
Read more about the green zone in the Arcadis study: Arcadis research shows the positive effect of the construction of the green zone.
Blood lead levels as the basis for zoning
The Moretusburg districts and part of Hertogvelden are divided into three zones. Based on the semi-annual measurements of blood lead levels and analyses by the PIH, the site’s influence on the neighborhood is greatest in the adjacent zone 1. This zoning formed the basis for the joint decision by Umicore and the Province of Antwerp to create the green zone there.
Run-up to the green zone
The planting of the wetland forest began in the first week of December 2024. This was preceded by many steps, starting in 2020.
Zone 1
To create the green zone, Umicore offered to buy all homes from residents in zone 1, who live closest to the site. Almost all residents have accepted this offer, with more than 97% of homes sold so far. This has been running since the end of 2020 and is ongoing.
Zone 2
In zone 2, further away from the site, residents with children up to the age of 12 could also voluntarily offer their homes for sale to Umicore. In zone 2, almost 100 homes were sold to Umicore. The offer for zone 2 closed at the end of 2021. The houses that Umicore has bought will be refurbished for rental or repurposed if necessary. They will not be rented to families with children under 12 years old.
Phased demolition works
For the construction of the green zone, a total of 186 of the 191 homes in zone 1 were demolished. Umicore opted for a phased approach, with the first phase intended to test the effectiveness of dust-control and safety measures on and around the construction sites. After the demolition of the first 17 houses in May 2023, it was confirmed together with the contractor that all implemented measures were more than sufficient. Thanks to these experiences, the contractor can carry out the demolition of the remaining 168 houses during the second phase as efficiently and safely as possible for the residents of Moretusburg.
Weather-dependent work in the second phase
Demolition and other work on-site was influenced by weather conditions, mainly wind strength and the need to minimize airborne dust. The demolition of the houses lasted from October 2023 through June 2024. The land was then leveled and prepared for planting.
Monitoring and combating dust dispersion
Umicore in Hoboken, together with the contractor, took effective measures to prevent dust spreading on and around the sites. For example, houses were sprayed with water before the demolition, and fog cannons precipitated the spread of dust. The contractor immediately stopped when dust was released, debris and demolition materials were disposed of wet and covered, and the streets involved were cleaned after each working day.
Dust monitoring through measuring stations and wind barometer
Our environment and R&D departments monitored any dust releases during the demolition very closely and analysed the data from our own three measuring stations in the vicinity and on the factory site.
In addition, we have been using a wind barometer since the beginning of 2021 to prevent dust from spreading. We are adjusting our operational activities depending on the predicted wind force. This measure also applied to the demolition works of the houses.
