The lithium-ion battery recycling industry is expanding rapidly as electric vehicle adoption increases and governments tighten rules around battery disposal and critical mineral recovery. According to Blackridge Research’s Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Market Report, the global lithium-ion battery recycling market is between USD 5.4 billion and USD 9.15 billion in 2025, and analysts expect the sector to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 20 percent through 2031.

The industry’s largest companies include Glencore, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, GEM Co., Ltd., Umicore, and Ganfeng Lithium. These companies operate large recycling networks, battery material processing facilities, and recovery systems that support the global electric vehicle and energy storage supply chain. Other major players such as CATL / Brunp Recycling, Ecobat Technologies, Redwood Materials, Fortum Battery Recycling, and Cirba Solutions are also expanding capacity to meet growing demand for recycled battery materials.

This article ranks the top 10 lithium-ion battery recycling companies in the world based on 2025 revenue. It examines each company’s recycling capabilities, technology focus, headquarters, operational footprint, and major developments announced during 2025 and early 2026. 

List of Top 10 Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Companies in the World 2026 (according to latest revenue)

*Revenue figures are based on annual reports, company disclosures, and industry research sources.

Glencore

Glencore is one of the world's largest diversified natural resource companies, with deep expertise in metals processing, smelting, and refining. Its battery recycling operations span several world-class facilities: the Nikkelverk refinery in Norway (producing ~92,000 tonnes of nickel annually), the Portovesme facility in Italy (processing EAF steel dust for zinc and lead recovery), and the Altonorte smelter in Chile. 

Glencore's recycling division recovers lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese from end-of-life batteries and electronic scrap, feeding materials back into the battery supply chain for EV manufacturers globally.

Key Recycling Initiatives:

1. Sourcing: Glencore procures recyclable materials from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), end-of-life sources, and processors.

2. Processing and Refining: Materials are processed at state-of-the-art facilities located in North America, South America, and Europe.

3. Market Integration: Recovered metals are marketed directly to industrial customers through Glencore’s global network, spanning over 35 countries.

Global Facilities and Capabilities:

1. San Jose Sampling Plant (California): One of the largest processors of precious metal-bearing electronic scrap on the U.S. West Coast.

2. Altonorte Smelter (Chile): A renowned recycler of high-grade copper scrap.

3. Nikkelverk Refinery (Norway): A major nickel refinery with ISO certifications, processing primary and secondary materials to produce approximately 92,000 tonnes of nickel annually.

4. Portovesme Facility (Italy): A leader in processing electric arc furnace (EAF) steel dust to recover zinc and lead, avoiding landfill waste.

In August 2025, Glencore completed its USD 40M acquisition of Li-Cycle's assets through a court-approved bankruptcy credit-bid, immediately rebranding the business as Glencore Battery Recycling (GBR).  The deal included four spoke facilities across North America (Arizona, Alabama, New York, Ontario) and a key spoke plant in Magdeburg, Germany (one of Europe's largest battery recycling plants), plus Li-Cycle's Rochester Hub project and all intellectual property.

Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt

Founded in 2002, Huayou Cobalt is a technology-driven enterprise with a vertically integrated model spanning resource extraction (nickel, cobalt, lithium), battery material manufacturing, and end-of-life recycling. Its recycling subsidiary, Huayou Recycling, employs a "cascade utilization then recycling" approach, prioritizing second-life use before full material recovery. 

Huayou holds a modular pre-processing capacity of 65,000 tonnes of waste power batteries annually and has pioneered the "Efficient and Low-Carbon Processing Technology for Lithium Battery Solid Waste," which won China's National Science and Technology Progress Award. Its customers include Tesla, BMW, and Ford, and it supplies ternary cathode materials to major EV supply chains globally.

Latest Projects / Deals

In May 2025, Huayou received environmental approval for a new 5,000-tonne/year scrap lithium battery physical recycling project under its subsidiary Zhejiang Huayou Green Energy Technology, with a total investment of CNY 36.89 million. 

In August 2025, China officially opened imports of black mass from overseas, opening a major new feedstock opportunity for Huayou's recycling operations. Huayou Recycling also joined the Global Battery Alliance's core governing body in 2025.

GEM Co., Ltd.

GEM Co., Ltd. (SZSE: 002340) is one of China's leading circular economy enterprises, built on a dual-track model of "urban mining + new energy materials manufacturing." With over 11,000 employees and 16 recycling and manufacturing plants across 8 provinces plus South Korea, South Africa, and Indonesia, GEM recycles more than 10% of China's total retired power batteries annually. 

Its "2+N+2" recycling network (two battery disposal centers, N regional bases, and two resource utilization centers) spans 3,000 km across China. GEM recovers nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium from spent batteries and resupplies them as battery-grade precursor and cathode materials to global OEMs and cell manufacturers.

Latest projects/deals

In September 2025, GEM and US-based Ascend Elements signed an MOU to collaborate on lithium-ion battery recycling and engineered battery materials production in Europe, aligned with the EU Battery Regulation and Battery Passport initiative. 

Separately, GEM's subsidiary Hubei Baifu Renewable Resources commenced a new 20,000-tonne/year battery dismantling and recycling project in Xiantao, Hubei, with a total investment of CNY 220 million, expanding GEM's domestic processing footprint significantly.

Umicore

Umicore is a Belgian multinational and a pioneer in rechargeable battery recycling, having operated its flagship recycling plant in Hoboken, Belgium, since 2011. The plant has an annual capacity of 7,000 tonnes of Li-ion batteries (equivalent to 35,000 EV batteries) and uses a proprietary pyro-hydro combined process to recover cobalt, nickel, copper, and lithium in battery-grade quality. 

Umicore's Recycling Business Group posted revenue of over USD 1.1 billion in 2025, rising 5% year-on-year, underpinned by strong precious metals demand and a favorable metal price environment. The company is one of Europe's most significant circular materials suppliers to EV gigafactories.

Latest project/deal

In October 2025, Umicore entered a strategic partnership with ACC (Automotive Cells Company) for EV battery materials in Europe, integrating Umicore's recycling into ACC's pilot Narsac gigafactory to recycle production waste and return materials to the cathode supply chain. 

Umicore also unveiled its roadmap to 2028, targeting Recycling Business Group revenues of ~ EUR 800 million with an EBITDA margin of ~35%, while actively exploring large-scale European recycling partnerships to expand beyond its current Hoboken facility.

Ganfeng Lithium

Ganfeng Lithium is the world's third-largest and China's largest lithium compound producer, operating a fully vertically integrated model from upstream lithium extraction to downstream battery production and recycling. 

In battery recycling, Ganfeng holds a leading position in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) recovery, achieving a comprehensive lithium recovery rate of 94% and a nickel-cobalt metal recovery rate of 99%, among the highest in the industry. 

The company recycles black mass from both EV batteries and consumer electronics, and reprocesses recovered materials directly into its lithium compounds product line, creating a near-seamless closed-loop supply chain.

Ganfeng Lithium is the first publicly listed lithium company in China with expertise in the following:

1. Compound deep processing (compounds include lithium carbonate, lithium chloride, and lithium hydroxide)

2. Lithium battery manufacturing and recycling

3. Metallic lithium smelting

4. Resource mining (including lithium extraction from salt lakes)

Latest project/deal

In 2025, Ganfeng completed production line commissioning for its Sichuan 50,000-tonne/year lithium salt project, with capacity being progressively released. The company also advanced its solid-state battery program, developing a 304Ah square energy storage solid-state battery and targeting market launch of 314Ah and 392Ah variants by year-end 2025.

Ganfeng's energy storage business expanded into mainstream European markets, participating in dozens of large-scale power station projects with global utility companies, creating a growing feedstock pipeline for its battery recycling operations.

CATL / Brunp Recycling

Brunp Recycling, a wholly owned subsidiary of CATL (the world's largest battery manufacturer), is widely regarded as the largest battery recycling company in China by volume, accounting for 50.4% of China's total battery recycling throughput. 

Founded in 2005 and acquired by CATL in 2015, Brunp operates seven global production bases across China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Indonesia. Its proprietary DRT (Directional Recycling Technology) achieves a 99.6% recovery rate for nickel, cobalt, and manganese and 96.5% for lithium. 

Brunp has led or participated in developing over 80% of China's national standards for Li-ion battery recycling. In 2025, Brunp processed over 200,000 tonnes of waste batteries.

Latest project/deal

In July 2025, CATL/Brunp broke ground on the Indonesia Battery Integration Project (IBIP), a landmark USD 6 billion, 2,000-hectare fully vertically integrated facility in Karawang, West Java, covering nickel mining, battery materials, and battery recycling. 

In partnership with PT Aneka Tambang (ANTAM) and Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC), the project targets 20,000 tonnes of recycled battery processing capacity and 142,000 tonnes of nickel output annually. 

Brunp also announced plans to scale total recycling and processing capacity to over 1 million tonnes/year by 2030, up from 200,000 tonnes processed in 2025.

Ecobat Technologies

Ecobat is a global leader in battery collection, recycling, and resource distribution, operating one of the world's largest and most efficient closed-loop recycling networks. Ecobat handles approximately 120 million batteries each year, with over 65,000 battery collection points, 15+ facilities, 14 smelters, three lithium-focused processing units, and a dedicated collection fleet. 

Historically focused on lead-acid battery recycling and lead production, the company has been actively expanding into lithium-ion battery collection and recycling management in response to the rapid growth of the EV sector. Its operations span North America, Europe (UK, Germany, Austria, France), South America, and Africa.

Latest project/deal

Throughout 2025, Ecobat underwent a major strategic restructuring of its European lead operations: it completed the sale of its French lead operations to Campine NV (October 2025), and entered a binding agreement to sell its UK battery recycling and specialty lead business to Splitstone Capital LLP (October 2025). 

Ecobat also sold its Arizona anode manufacturing business to Inppamet Ltda in September 2025. These divestitures reflect a strategic pivot toward lithium-ion recycling, including the opening of a new lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Arizona and the continued roll-out of its proprietary Seculene high-performance recycled polypropylene product line.

Redwood Materials

Founded in 2017 by JB Straubel (Tesla's co-founder and former CTO), Redwood Materials is the United States' leading lithium-ion battery recycler by volume, processing approximately 20 GWh of batteries annually (~90% of all Li-ion batteries recycled in North America). 

Operating from facilities in Carson City, Nevada, and Charleston, South Carolina, the company recovers 95–98% of critical minerals, including nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper, then manufactures them into battery-grade cathode and anode materials for domestic EV battery production. 

Redwood's fully integrated model, including spanning collection, recycling, and materials re-manufacturing, is designed to reduce the US battery supply chain's dependence on imports from China and other nations.

Latest project/deal

In June 2025, Redwood launched Redwood Energy, a new business line that repurposes retired EV batteries with remaining capacity into grid-scale energy storage systems serving AI data centers and industrial facilities. 

In July 2025, GM and Redwood signed an MOU to deploy second-life EV battery packs powering what Redwood calls "the largest microgrid in North America" in Sparks, Nevada, providing electricity to AI infrastructure company Crusoe. 

In October 2025, Redwood closed a USD 350 million Series E round led by Eclipse Ventures with participation from NVIDIA's NVentures, valuing the company at ~USD 6 billion.

Fortum Battery Recycling

Fortum Battery Recycling is a business unit of Finnish energy company Fortum and operates Europe's largest closed-loop hydrometallurgical battery recycling facility in Harjavalta, Finland, with supplementary pre-treatment and mechanical processing hubs in Germany and Finland. 

The company offers end-to-end recycling services for lithium-ion batteries and battery production waste, covering safe handling, cross-border transport, and full material recovery of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. 

Fortum is currently the only player in Europe providing a complete, integrated solution for every stage of the battery recycling value chain, from collection to battery-grade output, entirely within Europe's regulatory framework.

Latest project/deal

In March 2025, the European Commission recognized Fortum's Harjavalta facility as a Strategic Project under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), unlocking coordinated EU-level support for its expansion. In June 2025, Fortum signed a long-term service logistics contract with DHL Supply Chain to manage the collection, transport, and processing logistics for EV battery recycling. 

In November 2025, Fortum was selected for the EU Innovation Fund grant preparatory phase for the "Fortum Hydromet" project, a planned expansion of Harjavalta's black mass processing capacity from 3,000 to 28,000 tonnes/year, backed by ~EUR 85 million in Finnish national grants and potentially EUR 40 million from the EU.

Cirba Solutions

Cirba Solutions is one of North America's largest and most established battery recycling companies, with over 30 years of industry experience. The company manages the full battery lifecycle (collection, transport, storage, processing, and critical mineral recovery) across six operational facilities in the US. 

Cirba was the first US company to commercially produce black mass from lithium-ion batteries (2015), and it recovers up to 95% of critical minerals, including nickel, cobalt, lithium, and manganese, for reuse in new battery production. 

Its extensive logistics network covers 180+ commercial collection partners, making it a preferred recycling partner for major automotive OEMs and consumer electronics companies.

Latest project/deal

Cirba Solutions secured a USD 200 million DOE grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build a new lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Columbia, South Carolina (its seventh US facility) capable of processing 60,000 tonnes of used batteries annually and producing enough battery-grade salts for ~500,000 EVs per year (expected operational by 2027-28). 

In early 2026, Toyota partnered with Cirba Solutions for a comprehensive closed-loop EV battery recycling program, covering collection, storage, processing, and critical mineral recovery across Toyota's North American hybrid, PHEV, and BEV fleet, saving Toyota up to 70% on transportation costs.

Li-ion Battery Recycling: Market Outlook 2026

The lithium-ion battery recycling market is entering a high-growth phase as electric vehicle adoption accelerates and governments tighten battery recovery regulations. According to Blackridge Research & Consulting’s Global Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Market report the industry is valued between USD 5.4 billion and USD 9.15 billion in 2025, forecasts suggest it could exceed USD 14.8 billion by 2031 and reach nearly USD 37.5 billion by 2035. 

Asia-Pacific currently leads the industry with more than 44 percent of global market share, driven largely by China’s large-scale recycling capacity and integrated battery supply chain.

Global recycling capacity reached around 1.6 million tonnes per year in 2025 and could surpass 3 million tonnes annually by 2027–28 as new facilities come online. Analysts, including the International Energy Agency, expect feedstock availability to rise sharply after 2030 as early electric vehicle fleets begin reaching end-of-life at scale.

Key Drivers Shaping the Market

Growing EV retirement volumes: Electric vehicles sold between 2015 and 2018 are now entering the retirement cycle and need EV recycling.

Stricter recycling regulations: The European Union now mandates minimum recovery targets for lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and lead under new Battery Regulations. China, the United States, and India are also expanding Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks that make battery recycling a core supply chain requirement.

Pressure on critical mineral supply: Recycling offers recovery rates of up to 95–99 percent for key battery materials.

Advances in recycling technology: Hydrometallurgical recycling accounted for more than half of industry revenue in 2025 because it delivers higher lithium recovery and lower emissions than traditional pyrometallurgy.

Regional Growth Trends

China remains the dominant global recycling hub, but North America is expected to record the fastest growth through 2031 as IRA incentives and domestic supply chain policies drive investment. Europe is also expanding rapidly through projects supported by the EU Battery Regulation and the Critical Raw Materials Act. Major facilities operated by Fortum, Umicore, and Glencore are helping establish closed-loop battery material ecosystems across the region.

The automotive sector accounted for roughly 70 percent of lithium-ion battery recycling revenue in 2025 and will continue to drive market expansion as global EV fleets mature. Long term, companies that secure collection networks, OEM partnerships, and advanced recovery technologies are expected to gain a strong competitive advantage in the global battery supply chain.

Conclusion

Lithium-ion battery recycling has become a strategic part of the global clean energy supply chain as demand for critical minerals continues to rise. Leading companies such as Glencore, Huayou Cobalt, GEM Co., Umicore, Redwood Materials, and Cirba Solutions are expanding recycling capacity, investing in advanced recovery technologies, and building closed-loop supply networks for the electric vehicle and energy storage industries.

Strong regulatory support, rapid EV adoption, and growing pressure on lithium, nickel, and cobalt supplies are accelerating industry growth worldwide. As millions of EV batteries reach end-of-life over the next decade, companies that establish large-scale recycling infrastructure and efficient recovery systems will play a central role in securing the future battery materials market.

Blackridge Research & Consulting – Global Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Market Report

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