China and BMW advance recycling strategies for battery materials

China is aggressively investing in recycling infrastructure to secure critical raw materials, such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt, from old batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines. Beijing aims for its recycling industry to reach an annual turnover of 8 trillion yuan (approximately $1.2 trillion) by 2030. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China currently holds over 80 percent of global capacity for battery pretreatment and metal recovery.

In Europe, the BMW Group has announced a goal to ensure that at least 50 percent of the materials used in its new vehicles are recycled by 2030. To support this, BMW is investing in direct recycling processes through its research centers in Germany, such as the Cell Recycling Competence Centre (CRCC) in Bavaria. This method aims to recover lithium, cobalt, and graphite directly into the battery value chain, avoiding more energy-intensive thermal or chemical processes.