How did Sonaseed become a key player in the Kingdom's industrial transformation?
Economy of the East
Sonacid, Morocco's leading metallurgical company, has confirmed its position as a circular industrial model in the Kingdom, thanks to its ambitious strategy towards the production of low-carbon steel. According to Ismail Aklai, the company's General Manager, the move towards decarbonization has become an essential lever for competitiveness and innovation in the sector. This approach is a response to the Kingdom's industrial transformation and establishes the company's position as a key player in supporting major national projects.
Green strategy: Competitiveness based on scrap recycling and renewable energy
Sunseed adopts a production model that relies entirely (100%) on the recycling of scrap. This reliance on recycled materials is fueled by more than 90% of renewable energy. This economic model emphasizes that low-carbon industry is a real opportunity to build sustainable growth capable of creating added value for the entire ecosystem. These efforts have avoided the emission of nearly 1.1 million tons of CO² per year, while enhancing the company's competitiveness.
Sonacid's model is fundamentally different from the global steel production process, as more than 70% of global steel production still takes place in blast furnaces that rely primarily on iron ore and coal, processes that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. In contrast, using iron scrap as a raw material allows Sunseed to reduce the extraction of new resources and achieve significant energy savings; each ton of recycled scrap avoids the use of approximately 1.4 tons of iron ore and 0.7 tons of coal, while each ton of recycled scrap avoids the use of approximately 1.4 tons of iron ore and 0.7 tons of coal. The company also ensures the recycling and valorization of co-products resulting from its activities, transforming its industrial waste into value-added resources.
Technical innovation and green energy entrepreneurship
Sunseed's decarbonization strategy is underpinned by a set of concrete initiatives supported by its research and development center. These include continuous improvement of industrial processes, valorization of non-ferrous products, and investment in new energy-efficient technologies. To further boost its reliance on clean energy, the company has installed a second photovoltaic park in Nador, which now enables it to run its production process almost entirely on renewable energy, a crucial step towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
Sunseed has invested significant sums over the past four years to accelerate its industrial transformation. Since 2022, the company has reduced its electricity consumption by 14% per ton of steel. This improvement has been achieved thanks to equipment modernization, process digitization, and continuous R&D work, ensuring the production of low-carbon steel that meets the most stringent international standards. The company is also developing innovative solutions to increase the share of green energy in its energy mix and further electrify its operations.
Sonasaid and its partnership in major national endeavors
Sonacid has been emphasizing its strategic role in building the country for more than 50 years. The company is involved in various structured projects in Morocco, including major ports, highways, railways, industrial zones, dams, hospital infrastructure, and social housing projects. During the first half of 2025 (period ended October 30), the company recorded strong financial results, with consolidated turnover reaching AED 3.05 billion, an increase of 25%. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) jumped by 1,08% to AED 252 million, and the Group's net profit share rose by 3,59% to AED 96.7 million.
This performance is due to the strengthening of the positioning of new high value-added products, such as steel fibers, pre-stressed wire, and automotive steel, which are vital for Morocco's major projects. Sonacid's contribution goes beyond steel production to contribute to the circular industrial model and the consolidation of a true national value chain around the metal industry, relying on a wide network of partners and local expertise. Under its “Act for impact” strategic plan, Sonacid aims to consolidate its regional leadership in low-carbon steel production and localize a new industrial unit every year.
