Every waste management project hinges on a single, often-overlooked factor that can make or break it: the supply of waste. Circular economists love to talk about the mountains of waste piling up around us, but try building a recycling facility, and you’ll quickly discover that all that “waste” is either elusive, diverted elsewhere, or just not there yet. And in the case of battery recycling, the waste is barely even on the map.
Last week, Eramet announced a pause on its plans to build two battery recycling plants in northern France, citing insufficient raw materials. These plants were counting on a steady stream of production waste from gigafactories, most of which are still on the drawing board. Stellantis has similarly pulled out of its battery recycling venture with Orano, and ACC has put its German and Italian gigafactory projects on hold, slowing down the pipeline of waste that these recycling projects need to stay viable.
𝗜𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?
For recycling facilities to function, they need end-of-life batteries or production waste. But Europe's battery production ramp-up has been sluggish, and the flow of discarded EV batteries remains a trickle. As Eramet’s CEO Christel Bories noted, building recycling plants without a consistent waste supply simply doesn’t add up—especially if it means importing batteries or waste from Asia to meet demand.
𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁
Europe’s recycling sector may have jumped the gun, advancing ambitious plans before securing a stable supply chain. With gigafactories facing delays, the dream of a closed-loop battery ecosystem is facing a reality check. Battery recycling may be vital for the energy transition, but without raw materials on hand, Europe’s recycling plants are looking at empty feeds.
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Thanks to Jean Gravellier for pointing me to the original article!