Battery Recycling: An Irreversible Mainstream Trend Driven by Multiple Factors-Information-Jiangxi MingxinWith the vigorous development of the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry and the rapid iteration of electronic products, battery recycling is moving from the edge to the center stage, becoming an irreversible mainstream trend. The formation of this trend is an inevitable result of the combined effect of multiple factors, including resource security, environmental protection, industrial upgrading, and policy guidance.
The demand for resource guarantee is the core driving force behind battery recycling. Battery production relies on critical metal resources such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, and China's external dependence on these resources exceeds 70%. The uncertainty of resource supply severely restricts the security of the industrial chain. Waste batteries contain abundant recyclable resources and are known as "urban mines". Each ton of ternary lithium batteries can extract 15 kilograms of lithium, 200 kilograms of nickel, and other valuable materials. Standardized recycling can not only reduce dependence on primary minerals but also stabilize resource supply prices, laying a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the new energy industry.
Pressure from environmental protection has forced the improvement of the battery recycling system. Waste batteries contain heavy metals and flammable and explosive components. If improperly handled, they will cause long-term pollution through soil and water sources, and illegal dismantling is more likely to trigger safety accidents such as fires and explosions. Data shows that in 2023, there were more than 20 safety accidents caused by illegal dismantling of power batteries nationwide, and environmental and safety hazards cannot be ignored. In contrast, standardized recycling can achieve a resource regeneration rate of over 90%, significantly reduce carbon emissions throughout the battery's life cycle, and is an important measure to implement the "dual carbon" goal (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality).
Industrial upgrading and market potential have injected strong momentum into the recycling industry. Currently, China's power batteries have entered a large-scale retirement stage. The retirement volume is expected to reach 820,000 tons in 2025, and the market scale is expected to exceed 100 billion yuan by 2030. Faced with this blue ocean market, automakers and battery enterprises have actively laid out closed-loop recycling systems. Leading enterprises have achieved a breakthrough in lithium recovery rate exceeding 96% through technological innovation, and diversified paths such as echelon utilization and regenerative extraction have continuously enhanced the recycling value. At the same time, the process of industrial standardization has accelerated. The "white list" system promotes the concentration of market share in compliant enterprises, forcing the industry to shift from extensive to intensive development.
Policy support provides institutional guarantee for battery recycling. From the national-level "Action Plan for Improving the Recycling System of New Energy Vehicle Power Batteries" to specific measures such as relaxing restrictions on the import of recycled black powder, the policy system is constantly improving. The national unified battery traceability platform has accessed tens of millions of battery packs, and local legislation and special subsidies are advancing simultaneously, forming a full-chain supervision and guidance pattern. Driven by the synergy of policies, market, and technology, battery recycling is not only an environmental responsibility but also a strategic choice to ensure national resource security and promote high-quality industrial development. Its mainstream trend is irresistible.