Battery recycling for a circular economy

Primobius is built on a sustainability-driven approach, offering technologies that integrate into the circular economy by reducing emissions and lowering dependence on virgin raw materials. In a still predominantly linear system, resources are extracted, used briefly, and discarded — at high environmental cost. This is especially relevant in the Lithium-ion battery industry, where material and carbon intensity remain major challenges.

Primobius enables the recovery and reintegration of valuable Li-ion battery materials, helping to preserve resources, reduce waste, and support more responsible production. Its solutions are developed to meet — and where possible exceed — even strict regulatory standards, contributing to a more sustainable and transparent battery value chain.

Reduction of carbon footprint

While electric vehicles eliminate tailpipe emissions, their battery systems carry a significant carbon footprint — largely due to the extraction and processing of raw materials. Carbon parity with combustion-engine vehicles is typically reached only after considerable mileage.

Primobius offers a way to accelerate this balance: by enabling high-efficiency material recovery, its technologies help reduce the need for virgin extraction and associated emissions. Compared to the use of primary raw materials, Primobius recycling solutions can lower the overall carbon footprint by more than 85 percent.

A sustainable way forward

As battery demand grows, scalable solutions for responsible resource use are essential. Many existing approaches remain limited in efficiency or maturity. Primobius provides industrial-scale alternatives that combine mechanical processing with hydrometallurgical refining to maximise resource recovery.

Primobius recycling processes can achieve recovery rates of up to 95 percent by weight — covering both high- and low-value materials. Recovered outputs meet the quality requirements for reintegration into the battery supply chain, helping reduce global dependence on mined materials and supporting the shift toward circular, lower-emission production models.

By enabling regional processing of black mass, Primobius battery recycling solutions also help minimize transport, reduce logistical risks, and strengthen supply chain resilience.

In today's world, where you are judged by carbon footprint, Primobius empowers businesses to turn end-of-life battery recycling into a sustainability success story. Our industrial-scale recycling plants allow you to reclaim essential battery materials, efficiently reduce your environmental footprint, and actively support the circular economy. It’s a smarter, cleaner way to enhance your supply chain and make a real difference.

Battery regulations

Recycling solutions built to meet highest demands

Primobius' lithium-ion battery recycling solutions are closely aligned with the European Union's decarbonisation and clean energy objectives, such as the EU Battery Regulation (EU 2023/1542) as well as other evolving international frameworks. These regulations define new benchmarks for carbon transparency, recycling performance, and responsible resource use. Key areas addressed by Primobius include:

  • Carbon footprint – Primobius has conducted an independent, ISO-compliant "gate-to-gate" life cycle assessment (LCA) to measure the environmental impact of its processes. This assessment is part of the company’s environmental accounting program and will be regularly updated as operations scale up and technologies are commercialized. The results highlight the strong environmental performance of both the business and its recycling technologies.
  • Recycling efficiency – Primobius aims for 95% recycling efficiency by weight for all battery materials, surpassing the EU's 65% target for 2025.
  • Material recovery – Primobius’ solutions are designed to meet mandatory recovery targets for key materials such as cobalt, nickel, lithium, and copper.