Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Battery recycling worldwide - statistics & facts
As the boom in batteries accelerates the shift toward a more sustainable future, scaling up battery recycling becomes essential to recover critical materials, reduce environmental impacts, and keep this transition truly circular. With global lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cell demand projected to reach 4,700 gigawatt-hours by 2030, the interest in future supply of the large volumes of minerals such as cobalt and lithium needed to fuel batteries is also growing. Additionally, there is a concern about the most circular way to dispose of them at the end of their lifetime. Consequently, a new industry is developing around the recovery of valuable minerals from spent lithium-ion batteries. Still in its infancy, the global battery recycling market is projected to grow roughly seven-fold over the next decade.
Trash to treasure: The value of spent batteries
With widespread application in electronic devices, electric vehicles, and large-scale grid storage, Li-ion batteries (commercial form of rechargeable batteries) have become ubiquitous in modern society. Many minerals used in these batteries are listed as critical minerals. Lithium carbonate prices, which are the main contributor to battery cathode costs, have soared in recent years. With the growing demand for battery materials and with uncertain mineral supply, battery scrap is expected to be a significant source of battery minerals. The volume of battery materials available for recycling worldwide is forecast to reach 1.4 million tons by 2030.
Regulatory frameworks shaping battery recycling
As the global consumption of batteries increases, the proper management of end-of-life batteries becomes more crucial. Government legislation plays a key role in areas such as environmental protection, resource recovery, human health, and waste reduction. One such example is the European Union’s regulatory framework for batteries, approved in July 2023. It requires 90 percent of cobalt, copper, lead, and nickel, as well as 50 percent of lithium, to be recovered from batteries by 2027.
Regulations usually differentiate between battery types based on chemistry and hazard level. For example, lead acid batteries (commonly found in vehicles) are treated differently from lithium-ion batteries (used in EVs and electronics). China is the leader in battery recycling with high annual recycling capacity, but the country’s rapid EV growth is outpacing regulatory frameworks. Japan and South Korea have also implemented comprehensive battery recycling programs with emphasis on producer responsibility and resource recovery. Implementation, however, remains a challenge in many developing countries that face a lack of formal collection infrastructure and prevalence of informal recycling practices.
