Battery Materials Recycling Market - By Material, Technology, Battery Source, End Use & Region - Global Forecast, 2025 - 2034

Battery Materials Recycling Market Size

The global battery materials recycling market was valued at USD 12.6 billion in 2024. The market is expected to grow from USD 14.5 billion in 2025 to USD 51.2 billion in 2034 at a CAGR of 15.1% according to latest report published by Global Market Insights Inc.

• The worldwide demand for the core battery metals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, has grown due to the growth in electric vehicles (EVs) and increased demand for renewable energy storage. Recycling supports alternative and sustainable mining methods for battery metals and directly addresses the challenges of depression risks in raw materials pricing, geopolitical risks and mitigates potential harm to the environment.
   
• With advancements in recycling technologies, it has been possible to see greater recovery rates than before. Examples of near 99% recovery rates of graphite and over 95% of critical metals, using hydrometallurgical (aqueous chemistry to recover the metals) techniques, as well as direct recycling methods that recycle or recover the cathode materials.
   
• The collaborative partnerships across the industry are speeding up growth. The automakers and battery manufacturers are forming circular economy partnerships, for example, Tesla’s partnership with Redwood Materials or LG Energy Solution’s closed-loop approach with recyclers to provide traceability and reuse of batteries at the end of their life.
   
• A growing focus on sustainability and circularity of resources is a significant factor driving the battery recycling materials market. As global concern regarding climate change grows, industries face increasing urgency to reduce their carbon footprint and mitigating lifecycle management of products.
   
• The region of Asia Pacific represents 41.2% of the battery recycling materials market base. Expansion of electric vehicle production and government initiatives for sustainable waste management and investment in recycling infrastructure across China, Japan, South Korea, and India are driving this growth.
   
• In terms of material type, lithium recovery accounts for 22.9% of the market. Highly relevant to lithium-ion batteries and modestly increasing electric vehicle and energy storage market demand has increased the focus on battery-to-battery lithium reuse and recovery to meet the sustainability aspect of reliance on virgin resources.
   
• Hydrometallurgy accounts for the largest share of battery recycling materials market size at 41.3% in the technology segment. Hydrometallurgy has high efficiency in recovering metals, lower energy consumption in processing, and is ideal for lithium-ion battery processing. Hydrometallurgy can process a range of feed stocks making it attractive for many battery recycling facilities.
   
• In battery source, automotive battery accounts for the largest battery recycling materials market segment accounting for 47.3% market share. Factors include the rapid expansion of electric vehicle fleets, regulatory pressure to manage vehicle battery end-of-life, and the number of recyclable metals in automotive battery systems.
   
• In end user, battery manufacturers hold the largest battery recycling materials market segment with 24.5% market share. End users depend on recovered metals to replace raw minerals.
   

Battery Materials Recycling Market Trends

• The global battery materials recycling industry is experiencing a significant transformation by environmental considerations, regulatory updates, and strategic interests in resource procurement. A clear shift is occurring with the transition of the industry as industrial batteries must contain at least 6% recycled lithium and nickel, and 16% recycled cobalt which is no longer considered waste or an end-of-life product.
   
• Companies and governments are beginning to appreciate that recycling provides an opportunity to substantially reduce our dependence on environmentally damaging and geopolitically sensitive mining operations.
   
• Collections from a regulatory perspective are changing swiftly around the world to support battery recycling with promising prospects for mainstream adoption.  This evolving regulatory landscape is generating new and interesting opportunities that will support a stable and predictable business platform for recycling that will encourage local and international investment in recycling infrastructure.
   
• The merging of recycling back into the battery manufacturing subcontractor supply chain has emerged as one of the widely accepted growing trends in the battery materials recycling sector. In the U.S., projections show that a 90% collection rate combined with a 90% material recovery rate could supply approximately 33.5% of cathode materials needed by 2030, cutting cathode material costs from USD 25/kg to USD10/kg.
   

Battery Materials Recycling Market Analysis

Based on material type, the market is segmented into Lithium recovery, cobalt recovery, nickel recovery, manganese recovery, base metals recovery and other materials recovery. The Lithium Recovery, segment was valued at USD 2.9 billion in 2024, and it is anticipated to expand 13.9% of CAGR during 2025-2034.
 

• Lithium recovery holds a prominent share due to the surging demand for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles (EVs), consumer electronics, and energy storage systems. The demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to accelerate with the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), consumer electronics, and energy storage systems, lithium recovery is the preeminent segment. With technologies such as hydrometallurgy and direct lithium extraction (DLE), recovery of lithium is becoming more advanced.
   
• Cobalt recovery is a primary segment and is high-value metal used in the cathode of high-performance batteries. Hydrometallurgical/pyrometallurgical methods routinely exceed 95% cobalt recovery. Considering both ethical and geopolitical concerns regarding cobalt, recycling cobalt is a more sustainable and an ethically reliable supply chain.
   
• The increasing need for manganese recovery due to its use in lithium manganese oxide (LMO) and nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery chemistries. Base metals recovery includes metals like copper and aluminum, elements that are typical in the structure or casing of batteries.
   
• Other materials recovery includes graphite, electrolytes, and separator materials. Even if these are sometimes not possible to recover economically, ongoing R&D is identifying methods to recover these materials more cost-effectively, especially graphite, which is increasingly important as a key component of battery anodes.
   

Based on technology, the battery materials recycling market is segmented into hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, direct recycling and mechanical processing. The hydrometallurgy segment was valued at USD 5.2 billion in 2024, and it is anticipated to expand 14.4% of CAGR during 2025-2034.
 

• Hydrometallurgy is the most used and allows for higher recovery of recycled metal content including lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, and aims for reduced loss of materials added downstream of the production cycle.
   
• Pyrometallurgy processes used batteries using high-temperature and each metal is separated, primarily cobalt, nickel, other harder metals are separated from incoming spent batteries. While pyrometallurgy is not new, it is a proven, consolidated and valuable tool for higher temperature processing facilities developed on a larger scale than hydrometallurgy but sacrifice recovery (and loss of lithium and other components that are released at those high temperatures).
   
• Direct recycling is an emerging technology that aims to recover battery components, such as cathode materials and electrolytes, in their original chemical structure, without breaking them down into individual elements. This has the potential to decrease energy consumption and costs while maintaining material quality, making it a possible solution for closed-loop recycling.
   
• Mechanical processing usually represents the first step in the battery recycling chain, as batteries are shredded, crushed, and separated into their various components. Mechanical processing is typically important for physically separating the metals, plastics and active materials before any chemical processing takes place. Although not all metals are recovered, mechanical processing is important to make the later hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical recovery more feasible.
   

Based on battery source, the battery materials recycling market is segmented into automotive batteries, consumer electronics, energy storage systems and industrial sources. The automotive batteries segment was valued at USD 6 billion in 2024, and it is anticipated to expand 14.5% of CAGR during 2025-2034.
 

• Automotive batteries comprise a sizable portion of the total battery recycling market, due to the rapid expansion and maturation of the worldwide electric vehicle (EV) market. The market value at 2024 is USD 6 billion due to increased use of lithium-ion batteries in EVs, along with heightened awareness of environmental concerns and regulations governing end-of-life management of batteries, are informing large scale recycling efforts, and Automakers and battery manufacturers are working in collaboration with recyclers to develop closed-loop systems to retrieve critical materials from used EV batteries, including lithium, cobalt, and nickel. a common place in the EV industry.
   
• Consumer electronics which range from smartphones and tablets to laptops and product wearables, represent a sizable source of recyclable batteries. Individual battery size may be small, but the collective number of devices in use globally represents a significant number of end-of-life batteries to recover from end-of-life waste and for safe disposal. Recycling from this category also helps recover metals and electronic waste.
   
• Energy storage systems (ESS) for renewable energy applications represent another burgeoning source of spent batteries; with the spread of grid-scale storage systems and the ongoing deployment of renewable energy sources like solar and wind, over time many energies storage system will eventually reach the end of their lifecycle.
   
• Industrial sources consist of backup power systems, tracked vehicles, and portable or wheeled power tools that use rechargeable batteries. While they account for a smaller volume than automotive and consumer electronics, they add diversity to the battery chemistries that potentially find their way into the recycling stream, warranting flexible and adaptable recycling technologies.
   

Based on end use, the battery materials recycling market is segmented into battery manufacturers, material suppliers, automotive OEMs and electronic manufactures. The battery manufactures end-use segment was valued at USD 4.5 billion in 2024 and gained 14.6% CAGR from 2025 to 2034 with a market share of 35.5%.
 

• Battery manufactures are emerging as an important end-user group in the battery materials recycling market since they rely on critical materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel in its battery chemistries. These materials are essential for battery chemistries and are expensive to source with political, social, and environmental challenges that limit a battery manufacturer’s ability to attain the materials through traditional supply channels, especially with regard to cobalt, lithium, and nickel.
   
• Material suppliers are also essential users of recovered materials, as they use recovered metals and recovered materials containing compounds to formulate new cathode, anode, and electrolyte materials.
   
• Automotive OEM's (Original Equipment Manufacturers) are becoming more involved in battery recycling due to how many electric vehicle (EV) batteries will be sent to the graveyard in the next couple of years' multi-thousands. OEM's want the batteries to exit the waste stream, not return or be disposed of with regular waste. This also hits on their sustainability goals while sealing access to battery materials that are scarce in the first place, in the long run.
   
• Electronics manufacturers represent another important segment. Consumer devices still operate on very rapid lifetime ends with massive volumes of spent batteries ending up in landfills. The manufacturers dedicate resources towards reducing e-waste by incorporating batteries into their sustainability process to address product lifecycle management.
   

Asia Pacific dominates the global market in volume by USD 5.2 billion in 2024 to USD 21.3 billion in 2034, mainly driven by battery production and consumption in China, Japan, and South Korea. China market was valued at USD 3 billion in 2024 and expected to grow at a 15.3% CAGR from 2025-2034.
 

• China has enforced stringent regulations on EV batteries recycling and already has the technology (in terms of capacity) to pioneer the charge. In addition, India is a rapidly emerging large growth market, as evident by investments in recycling infrastructure and regulations being established.
   
• Other countries in the region like Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand are also speeding up their investment in infrastructure and developing material recovery systems to support emerging EV and electronics markets.
   

The North American battery materials recycling market is characterized by rectangular competition, with the United States acting as a leader in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, solid regulatory environment, and increasing resources for domestic battery recycling.
 

• The United States is a leading player in the region, given the support of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and federal tax credits that encourage sustainable behaviors, such as end-of-life battery management.
   
• Prominent market leaders in this space like Li-Cycle, and Redwood Materials are developing large processing facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada, either receiving public-private support or have self-funded with private capital.
   

Europe battery materials recycling market valued at USD 3.3 billion in 2024. Countries like Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have robust battery collection operations and several recycling companies with gigafactory operations underway.
 

• Italy and Spain are seeing increasing activities in this area because of national e-waste regulations and commitments to transitioning to clean energy. The circular economy objectives of Europe and their commitments to electrification of transport in particular, are driving the uptake of recycling technologies across the region.
   
• In the year of the EU's 2023/1542 Battery Regulation establishing material recovery rates for lithium, cobalt, and nickel – there could be significant additional influence for investment recycling, as the change to electrification in European automotive, particularly, is creating significant demand for recycling solutions in Europe.
   

Latin America is an emerging market for battery recycling, with estimated contributions approximately 5.9% of global revenue in 2024 but is a unique market opportunity as the region has considerable undifferentiated demand from noted deposits of lithium and new interest in downstream supply chain development.
 

• Chile and Argentina, as large lithium producers, are considering domestic recycling policy sometimes in conjunction with their extraction industry. In Brazil are also some of the most impactful recycling efforts in the region, including the recent trend of higher adoption of electric motorcycles and hybrid cars and associated environmental law.
   
• The active foreign investment of battery manufacturing and EV infrastructure in the whole Latin American region, the demand for battery end-of-life solutions is expected to grow consistently.
   

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) hold about 5.1% of global market share but is experiencing increasing attention due to energy transition objectives and sustainability strategies. 
 

• South Africa is setting the stage as a regional hub due to increased off-grid demand for solar energy storage as well as in its national policy on hazardous waste. In the Middle East, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have initiated pilot schemes on e-waste and battery collection as part of a series of international circular economy models, part of Vision 2030.
   
• The challenges remain in relation to infrastructure, an increase in awareness and international partnerships are expected to lead to modest growth in the market in coming years.
   

Battery Recycling Material Market Share

• The rise of the global new energy vehicle market, the installed capacity of EV batteries has risen rapidly. Since the performance of the lithium battery will gradually deteriorate with the increase of use time, the average service life of EV batteries ranges from 5 to 8 years. Therefore, the first batch of EV batteries put into the market are in a retirement tide.
   
• In U.S., the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) allocated USD 125 million toward battery recycling, collection, and reprocessing programs to enhance consumer participation and recycling economics, targeting a 90% consumer battery recycling rate by 2030.
   
• Glencore and LG Energy Solution are leveraging their positions as industrial and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) behemoths to stake out critical material supply chains. Glencore, with its network of global mining and metals infrastructure, is propelling its recycling operations with a more extensive materials portfolio and partnerships with companies such as American Battery Technology Co as it continues to build out its end-of-life battery recovery services.
   
• The years of being tracked as the significant player in battery manufacturing, LG Energy is using that momentum to build its own in-house recycling capacities to lessen reliance on raw material imports and contribute to stabilizing input costs for battery production.
   

Battery Recycling Material Market Companies

The top key players in the industry are:

• American Battery Technology Co
• Ascend Elements
• Duesenfeld GmbH
• Ecobat
• Elemental Strategic Metals (ESM)
• Glencore plc
• LG Energy
• Neometals Ltd
• Primobius GmbH (Neometals JV)
• RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc.
• Redwood Materials
• Retriev Technologies
• Stena Recycling
• TES (part of SK Ecoplant)
• Umicore
   
• Umicore: Umicore has been active for over 15 years in the industrial-scale recovery of battery recycling materials and is one of the leaders in the field. The company utilizes a patented pyro-hydro metallurgical method to recover high value battery materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper with excellent recovery rates. Umicore has plans to expand their operations with a 150,000-tonne battery recycling plant located in Europe, which is scheduled to be operational by 2026.
   
• American Battery Technology Co: American Battery Technology Company is focused on sustainably recycling lithium-ion batteries using a proprietary hydrometallurgical process and associated de-manufacturing processes. It combines chemistry with mineral process design and engineering to utilize its technology to economically and safely recycle lithium, nickel, and cobalt from a wide range of feedstocks and material sources. The company is expanding its capacity with government funding and new facilities and is contributing strategically to the development of a closed-loop battery supply chain.
   
• Glencore plc: Although a diversified natural resource company, Glencore is also a major recycler and processor and manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, end-of-life electronics, and other commodities.
   
• Ecobat: Ecobat is a world leader in battery recycling, with real quantitative ability. They have a comprehensive network that includes 11 secondary smelting facilities, a primary smelting facility, and three fully operational lithium-ion battery recycling facilities that were started in the last year, based in Hettstedt, Germany; Casa Grande, Arizona; and Darlaston, England.
   
• Redwood Materials: Redwood Materials is a technology company dedicated to providing circular supply chains for lithium-ion batteries and other electronics. Redwood seeks to mitigate the environmental impacts associated with battery production by recycling end-of-life batteries and manufacturing scrap, recovering over 95% of the essential materials (i.e. lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper) used in lithium-ion batteries.
   

Battery Recycling Material Industry News

• In August 2025, Glencore plc purchased Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. The acquisition is a strategic move for Glencore as it looks to augment its investment portfolio into fledgling lithium-ion battery recycling.
   
• On January 13, 2025, Hydro and Northvolt entered into an agreement for Hydro to acquire the remaining 28% of battery recycler Hydrovolt. Hydro increased its ownership stake in Hydrovolt from 72% to 100%.
   
• On September 19, 2023, Redwood's operations completed the acquisition of Redux Recycling GmbH, the predominant lithium-ion battery recycler in the European Union. This acquisition will provide us with a strong EU presence to rapidly scale operations, increase the capacity for battery recycling, and partner with already-established suppliers, customers and industry partners throughout Europe.
   

The battery materials recycling market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry, with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue (USD Billion) & volume (Tons) from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

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Market, By Material Type

• Lithium recovery
• Cobalt recovery
• Nickel recovery
• Manganese recovery
• Base metals recovery
• Other materials recovery

Market, By Technology Type             

• Hydrometallurgy
• Pyrometallurgy
• Direct recycling
• Mechanical processing

Market, By Battery Source

• Automotive batteries
• Consumer electronics
• Energy storage systems
• Industrial sources

Market, By End Use

• Battery manufacturers
• Material suppliers
• Automotive OEMs
• Electronics manufacturers

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe 
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • South Korea
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Rest of Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • UAE
  • Rest of Middle East & Africa