Cleaner Tech
The Next Big Battery Material Squeeze Is Old Batteries
- Glencore warns recyclers will face stiff competition for scrap
- Recycling will be crucial in boosting long-term lithium supply
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A global rush into battery recycling is good news for automakers worried about future raw material supplies. But the wave of new factories poses a big risk for the recycling industry itself: there’s nowhere near enough scrap yet to feed them all.
Big-name auto giants, specialist recycling firms and even miner Glencore Plc are all pouring money into transforming waste into the commodities needed to fuel the electric-vehicle revolution. As a result, global battery-recycling capacity will surge nearly 10 times from 2021 to 2025, and is expected to surpass available scrap supply this year, according to consultancy Circular Energy Storage.