Climate team ups: battery recycling edition

Welcome back to The Strawman, the daily climate newsletter that’s like brushing your teeth - good for you, even if you only do it once a day. It’s ok though, we won’t tell.

Today we’re talking about the unlikely team up of Glencore and Li-cycle - let’s dive in.

Green gang

EVs require batteries - we all know this. But what happens to these batteries at the end of their lives?

That’s exactly what this new partnership aims to solve. Glencore, a Switzerland-based natural resources giant, and Li-Cycle, a Canadian battery recycling company, are working together to build Europe's largest battery recycling plant in Italy by 2027.

How’s that for a team up?

Repurposing the old stuff

Now, Glencore isn't exactly new to the recycling game. They've already established themselves as one of the world's largest metal recyclers.

Their next move?

Repurposing their 94-year-old zinc and lead smelter in Sardinia to produce lithium, nickel, and cobalt—the holy trinity of battery materials. By converting the site, Glencore aims to extend its control over the supply of critical raw materials needed by carmakers and seize a leading role in battery recycling.

So how's this recycling plant going to work? It's all about extracting precious materials from disused electronics, scrap from battery manufacturing, and old EV batteries.

The plant will have the capacity to process 50,000 to 70,000 tonnes of "black mass" (shredded batteries), enough to recycle batteries from 600,000 used electric cars. Li-Cycle predicts that recycled supply will satisfy 10% of Europe's lithium demand by 2030.

Like the last bit of your toothpaste still stuck in the tub, it’s important to get the most out of the precious metals used by EVs - and this new partnership turns a page in our ability to make the most of these rare metals.

It’s not all rosy

While battery recycling sounds like the eco-friendly solution we all need, it's not without its challenges. For starters, predicting when large volumes of EV batteries can be processed is tricky, thanks to uncertainties around battery lifespan in EVs and their second use in industries like energy storage - fortunately, people aren’t letting these speed bumps get in the way.

With EU legislators proposing that EV batteries must contain a certain threshold of recycled raw materials from 2030 onwards, recycling is set to play an increasingly important role in easing the demand for primary raw materials from mines, especially in Europe where domestic mining supply is limited.

This ambitious Glencore-Li-Cycle project marks a significant expansion for Li-Cycle in Europe, with shredding sites in Germany, Norway, and France set to follow. As we drive towards a more sustainable and electric future, recycling ventures like these will be essential to keeping our planet charged up and ready for the long haul.

That's all for today, folks - we’ll be back tomorrow.

The Strawman