As cadmium in some phosphate fertilizers becomes a public health and regulatory issue in Europe, Morocco’s OCP says it has developed a process to sharply reduce the metal’s presence in its products, a challenge with direct implications for access to Europe, the group’s third-largest export market. Tightening environmental and health standards in Europe are pushing phosphate fertilizer producers to revisit their industrial processes, with cadmium, a heavy metal naturally present in some phosphate ores, emerging as a central concern given its potential to accumulate in soil and the food chain after application.
OCP says it has offered fertilizers with cadmium levels below 20 milligrams per kilogram of P2O5 since 2025, well under the European Union’s current ceiling of 60 mg/kg of P2O5. Europe accounts for roughly 17 percent of OCP’s export markets, behind Asia at 41 percent and the Americas at 31 percent, according to figures cited by AFP.
The reduction takes place during the industrial transformation of phosphate into phosphoric acid, the raw material used to manufacture phosphate fertilizers. OCP says it developed a process using specific additives during acid treatment that capture part of the cadmium before the purified acid is reused for fertilizer production.
Faris Derrij, CEO of OCP Nutricrops, told AFP the group made “significant investments” to adapt its industrial tools to regulations that differ across markets, without disclosing amounts. A European official cited by AFP said a major Moroccan producer had informed Brussels of investments aimed at guaranteeing levels below 20 mg/kg for fertilizers bound for Europe, though the EU does not systematically monitor cadmium levels across all imports.
The environmental push comes amid a tougher global fertilizer market, with supply chains for inputs including sulfur, ammonia and urea disrupted since the Middle East war began in late February, as several Gulf facilities reduced or paused output. Derrij acknowledged this has affected OCP’s “timelines, costs and supply flows,” though the group says it maintained operational continuity through its stockpiles and geographic position.
OCP is also addressing phosphogypsum, a byproduct of phosphoric acid production, planning from 2027 to expand land-based storage to reduce sea discharges while exploring ways to valorise the material, part of a broader environmental push spanning heavy metals, industrial waste and supply security.
