Riva Group

Riva Group is an Italian steelmaking group whose industrial identity was built around electric-arc-furnace production, the use of ferrous scrap, and the operation of mini-mills. Founded in Milan in 1954 by brothers Adriano and Emilio Riva as an iron-scrap trading business, the company moved into steel production in 1957 when it built a mini-mill at Caronno Pertusella near Milan. The plant later became an important site in Italian steel history because it was among the first Italian steelworks to adopt continuous casting, developed in cooperation with Danieli. This combination of scrap recycling, electric melting, and continuous casting became the technological foundation of the group’s expansion. During the 1960s, Riva enlarged its Italian presence by acquiring smaller steel businesses. From the 1970s onward, it participated in the restructuring and privatization of European steelmaking, acquiring or establishing operations in Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and Canada. Its expansion included Siderúrgica Sevillana in Spain, Associated Steel Industries in Montreal, the Iton Seine works in France, the Acciaierie di Cornigliano works in Genoa, Thy-Marcinelle in Charleroi, Alpa in Gargenville, and the former East German plants Brandenburger Elektrostahlwerke and Henningsdorfer Elektrostahlwerke. In 1995, the group acquired the ILVA steelworks in Taranto from the Italian government, substantially increasing its scale and importance in the European steel sector. Riva’s production model is closely associated with the circular-economy characteristics of electric steelmaking. Rather than relying primarily on iron ore and integrated blast-furnace production, electric arc furnaces melt ferrous scrap, allowing steel to be repeatedly recycled. The group has presented this approach as a means of reducing the carbon intensity of steel production, although actual environmental performance depends on electricity sources, plant technology, emissions controls, and operating practices. In 2022, the group was described as the leading European producer of electric-arc-furnace steel and ranked 69th globally by crude-steel output in the World Steel Association ranking. Its reported 2022 raw-steel production was 5.70 million tonnes. The group’s operating structure is centered on Riva Forni Elettrici, headquartered in Milan, which oversees Riva Acciaio in Italy. Riva Acciaio operates five Italian facilities at Caronno Pertusella, Lesegno, and sites in Valle Camonica at Sellero, Malegno, and Cerveno. The wider group also has 23 additional units across Germany, France, Spain, and Belgium, together with a Canadian facility. Its activities include steel production and related steel products, supported by research and development capabilities. Since the 1990s, the Lesegno site has hosted a research laboratory equipped with advanced testing systems, including a Gleeble 3800 thermomechanical simulator used to reproduce steel-processing conditions on small specimens. Riva Group’s reputation has also been shaped by the environmental and legal controversy surrounding ILVA, particularly the Taranto works. Italian investigations and court proceedings alleged severe pollution and failures in environmental management. The Taranto plant was seized in 2012 after reports linked industrial emissions with elevated health risks in the surrounding area. The proceedings generated convictions involving former owners and managers, while other cases ended through acquittals, dismissals, or statute-of-limitations rulings. In 2018, after the Italian state had taken control of ILVA, the Taranto, Genoa, and Novi Ligure assets were sold to ArcelorMittal. Despite the loss of ILVA, Riva Group remains an active privately controlled European steel producer focused on electric-furnace technology, scrap-based production, and specialized industrial steelmaking.

Riva Group began in 1954 in Milan, where Adriano and Emilio Riva established an iron-scrap trading business. Its transition from trading to manufacturing came in 1957 with the construction of a mini-mill at Caronno Pertusella near Milan. The company subsequently introduced continuous casting at the site in cooperation with Danieli, helping establish a production model based on electric melting and the efficient casting of steel. The group expanded across Italy during the 1960s through acquisitions of smaller competitors. In the following decade it began a broader European expansion, participating in the privatization and restructuring of steelworks that had previously been state-owned or financially distressed. It acquired a stake in Spain’s Siderúrgica Sevillana in 1971 and obtained full control in 1978. It created Associated Steel Industries in Montreal and developed a progressively stronger position in France through Iton Seine and Alpa. Its acquisitions also included Acciaierie di Cornigliano in Genoa and Thy-Marcinelle in Charleroi, Belgium. In 1992, Riva bought Brandenburger Elektrostahlwerke and Henningsdorfer Elektrostahlwerke directly from Germany’s Treuhandanstalt. The 1995 purchase of ILVA from the Italian government was the group’s most consequential expansion. The Taranto works were among the largest steelmaking assets in Italy, and the acquisition made Riva one of Europe’s leading steel producers. The group also pursued technical research. From the 1990s, its Lesegno facility in northern Italy operated a research and development laboratory with equipment capable of simulating thermomechanical steel-processing cycles. The Gleeble 3800 system allowed researchers to test thermal, chemical, and mechanical behavior on small samples before applying findings at industrial scale. The ILVA period later became the source of extensive environmental and criminal litigation. Earlier proceedings concerning alleged coercion and pollution-related conduct produced a mixture of convictions, acquittals, and statute-of-limitations outcomes. In 2012, a report by Italy’s National Institute of Health described serious pollution and elevated disease risks around Taranto. Prosecutors alleged that emissions from the works contributed to an environmental disaster; the facility was seized, and members of the Riva family and plant managers were arrested. The long-running Ambiente Svenduto proceedings produced later convictions, including prison sentences for Fabio and Nicola Riva in 2021, although the wider set of cases had differing outcomes. Emilio Riva died in 2014. Adriano Riva subsequently remained associated with the family business until his death in 2019 and reached a settlement with the Italian state. In 2018, the state sold ILVA’s Taranto, Genoa, and Novi Ligure assets to ArcelorMittal. Separately, in 2019, a Milan court acquitted defendants in a bankruptcy-related case involving ILVA and RIVA Fire, rejecting the alleged offense and citing investments that it found had been made in environmental measures and plant modernization. The continuing Riva Group is organized around Riva Forni Elettrici and Riva Acciaio. It operates five Italian plants and additional units in Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, and Canada. Its strategic identity remains tied to scrap-based electric-arc-furnace production, steel recyclability, technological development, and the supply of industrial steel products. In 2022, the group added eight ferrous-material collection and crushing sites, reinforcing control over a key input to its circular production model.

1. 2022Expansion of ferrous-scrap collection network

   Riva acquired eight collection and crushing sites and established Trentetrois.

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2. 2021Safety award for Valle Camonica facilities

   The Italian Metallurgy Association recognized workplace-health and safety interventions at the group’s Valle Camonica facilities.

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3. 2018ILVA assets sold to ArcelorMittal

   The Italian state transferred the Taranto, Genoa, and Novi Ligure assets to ArcelorMittal.

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4. 2012Taranto works seized amid pollution investigation

   Italian authorities seized the ILVA plant after environmental and public-health allegations.

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5. 1995ILVA acquired from the Italian government

   The acquisition of ILVA made Riva one of the main European steel producers.

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6. 1992Acquisition of former East German steelworks

   Riva bought Brandenburger Elektrostahlwerke and Henningsdorfer Elektrostahlwerke from Treuhandanstalt.

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7. 1971Entry into Siderúrgica Sevillana

   Riva acquired a minority share in the Spanish steelmaker, later taking full control in 1978.

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8. 1964Continuous casting introduced

   The Caronno Pertusella works installed continuous-casting technology in cooperation with Danieli.

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9. 1957First mini-mill built at Caronno Pertusella

   The company entered steel manufacturing with a mini-mill near Milan.

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10. 1954Riva Group founded in Milan

    Adriano and Emilio Riva established the business as a trader in iron scrap.

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A privately controlled European steel producer positioned around electric-arc-furnace technology, ferrous-scrap recycling, continuous casting, industrial specialization, and lower-emissions steelmaking relative to conventional ore-based routes.

• Electric-arc-furnace crude steelRaw steel1957

  Riva’s core output is crude steel melted in electric arc furnaces, primarily using ferrous scrap as the metallic input. This route supports the group’s mini-mill structure and its circular-economy positioning. The steel is subsequently cast and processed into industrial products at facilities in Italy and other European markets.

• Long steel productsConstruction and industrial steel

  The group’s mills produce long steel products and related semifinished or finished forms for construction, manufacturing, engineering, and other industrial applications. Product specifications vary by plant and customer requirement, with output supported by electric melting, continuous casting, and downstream processing.

• Specialty and engineering steelsSpecialty steel

  Riva’s technical capabilities include the development and production of steels requiring controlled chemical, thermal, and mechanical characteristics. Its Lesegno research laboratory uses thermomechanical simulation and related testing to study processing cycles and support customized industrial steel production.

• 2022Strengthen control over ferrous-scrap supplyStrategy

  Electric-arc-furnace steelmaking depends on reliable access to ferrous scrap.

  What changed. Riva acquired eight ferrous-material collection and crushing sites and established Trentetrois.

  Aftermath. The move expanded the group’s role in scrap collection and processing and supported its recycling-based production model.

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• 2012Shift of ILVA control to state administrationStrategy

  Authorities alleged that pollution from the Taranto works posed serious environmental and public-health risks.

  What changed. The plant was seized and the Riva family lost operational control during the ensuing proceedings.

  Aftermath. The ILVA assets were later sold by the Italian state to ArcelorMittal in 2018.

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• 1995Acquire ILVA from the Italian governmentM&A

  Riva was expanding through the privatization and restructuring of European steel assets.

  What changed. The group purchased the ILVA steelworks, including the strategically important Taranto operation.

  Aftermath. The acquisition significantly increased Riva’s European scale but later exposed the group to major environmental, regulatory, and legal controversy.

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• 2021Convictions of former ILVA ownersControversy

  Fabio and Nicola Riva were sentenced in the Taranto pollution case for conduct associated with emissions from the ILVA works. The proceedings also involved other defendants, including public officials and plant managers.

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• 2012ILVA Taranto environmental-disaster proceedingsControversy

  Investigations into pollution from the Taranto steelworks alleged serious environmental damage and links to elevated health risks in the surrounding area. The plant was seized, and members of the Riva family and senior managers faced criminal proceedings. The resulting cases produced varied outcomes, including later convictions, acquittals, and statute-of-limitations rulings.

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• 2022Riva Group reported 5.70 million tonnes of crude steel production in 2022

  The group’s reported production placed it among the world’s significant steel producers and reflected its emphasis on electric-arc-furnace steelmaking.

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• 2022Riva Group acquired ferrous-material collection and processing sites

  The group acquired eight collection and crushing sites for ferrous materials and established Trentetrois, strengthening its scrap-supply activities.

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1. Riva Group