Top EV Battery Recycling Companies and Automaker Programs
Top EV battery recycling companies now recover up to 99% of key metals from spent lithium-ion batteries. Redwood Materials, Li-Cycle, and CATL lead the field, while automakers like GM and Nissan run their own recycling partnerships. This guide covers the biggest players, what makes each one unique, and how automaker programs fit into the bigger picture.
Who Are the Biggest EV Battery Recycling Companies?
A handful of companies dominate EV battery recycling worldwide, split between North America, Europe, and China. Each operates at a different scale and focuses on different parts of the recycling chain.
| Company | Headquarters | Approximate Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| CATL Brunp | China | 500,000+ tonnes annually |
| GEM Co. | China | 300,000 tonnes annually |
| Umicore | Belgium | 150,000 tonnes annually |
| Redwood Materials | United States | 100 GWh target |
| Li-Cycle | United States/Canada | Over 100,000 tonnes network capacity |
| Ascend Elements | United States | 70,000 BEV equivalents per year |
China currently holds roughly 60% of global recycling capacity, largely through CATL Brunp and GEM Co. North American and European players are scaling up quickly to close that gap.
What Is Redwood Materials and Who Founded It?
Redwood Materials is a US-based recycling company founded in 2017 by JB Straubel, Tesla’s former Chief Technology Officer. It’s headquartered in Nevada and focused on building a domestic, closed-loop battery supply chain.
Redwood operates the largest lithium-ion battery recycling facility outside Asia at its Tahoe Campus in Sparks, Nevada. The facility receives more than 20 GWh of batteries annually, including manufacturing scrap from the nearby Panasonic Gigafactory.
Key facts about Redwood Materials:
- Recovers over 95% of key battery elements, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper
- Began commercial-scale production of Cathode Active Material (CAM) in April 2025, the first in North America
- Targets 100 GWh of CAM production, enough for roughly 1 million EVs
- Partners include Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen Group of America, BMW North America, and Panasonic
What Is CATL’s EV Battery Recycling Strategy?
CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, handles recycling through its subsidiary, CATL Brunp. This division focuses on large-scale material recovery across multiple countries.
CATL Brunp’s recycling network extends across China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the Americas. The company reports a recovery rate exceeding 99% for key materials at its facilities.
This scale gives CATL a strategic advantage most competitors can’t match. Since it also manufactures batteries at massive volume, recycled materials feed directly back into its own supply chain with minimal added logistics.
Who Is Li-Cycle and What Do They Do for EV Battery Recycling?
Li-Cycle is a publicly traded lithium-ion battery recycler based in North America, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company uses a “Spoke & Hub” model to process batteries in stages.
Regional “Spoke” facilities shred batteries into black mass. A central “Hub” facility then refines that black mass into recoverable lithium and other metals.
Li-Cycle’s operations include:
- Black mass production facilities in Arizona, Alabama, and Ontario
- A hub facility in Rochester, New York, dedicated to refining black mass
- Up to 95% recovery of valuable materials through patented technology
- A 2025 acquisition agreement with mining giant Glencore, expanding its facilities across the US and Europe
What Is Battery Resources and Their Role in Recycling?
Battery Resources, now operating under the name Cirba Solutions, handles battery recycling across multiple chemistries, not just lithium-ion. The company partners directly with automakers, including General Motors.
Cirba Solutions manages preproduction scrap, production scrap, and end-of-life batteries under its GM partnership. Trained battery recognition experts sort and categorize batteries before processing them without producing emissions on-site.
The company also separates batteries into reusable components, including zinc and manganese concentrate later repurposed as fertilizer micronutrients, showing how recycling extends beyond core battery metals.
What Is Retriev Technologies in EV Battery Recycling?
Retriev Technologies is a longstanding battery recycler handling a wide range of chemistries, including lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride, and lead-acid. It’s known for flexibility across different battery types and formats, not just EV-specific packs.
Retriev provides guidance on transporting, handling, and storing batteries safely, alongside its core recycling operations. This makes it a common partner for organizations managing mixed battery waste streams beyond just electric vehicles.
Does GM Have a Battery Recycling Partnership?
Yes, GM runs multiple battery recycling partnerships through its Ultium Cells joint venture and direct agreements. Its main partnership is with Li-Cycle, established in 2021.
Under this agreement, Li-Cycle recycles up to 100% of material scrap from Ultium battery cell manufacturing at GM’s Ohio plant. This includes cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite, copper, manganese, and aluminum.
GM’s broader recycling efforts include:
- A 2022 investment and partnership with Lithion Recycling for R&D and material validation
- A separate partnership with Cirba Solutions covering preproduction and end-of-life batteries
- Recycling or reusing 100% of customer-returned battery packs since 2013
- Using end-of-life EV batteries for stationary backup power at its Milford Proving Ground facility
Does Nissan Recycle Leaf Batteries?
Yes, Nissan has one of the longest-running EV battery recycling programs in the industry. It operates through 4R Energy, a joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation established in 2010.
The “4R” name stands for Reuse, Refabricate, Resell, and Recycle, reflecting Nissan’s full lifecycle approach to LEAF batteries. Since 2010, this program has expanded well beyond Japan.
Notable outcomes from Nissan’s program include:
- A dedicated recycling and refabrication plant in Namie, Japan
- Refabricated replacement batteries offered to LEAF owners at a lower cost than new ones
- Second-life LEAF batteries powering a city of over 90,000 residents in Melilla, Spain
- Solar-powered streetlights built from repurposed LEAF batteries supporting disaster recovery in Japan
4R Energy became the world’s first organization certified under UL 1974, the safety standard for evaluating repurposed batteries, highlighting Nissan’s early leadership in this space.
The Bottom Line on Top EV Battery Recycling Companies
Top EV battery recycling companies each bring something different to the table. Redwood Materials and Li-Cycle lead North American capacity, CATL dominates at global scale, and smaller players like Retriev handle mixed battery streams. Automaker partnerships, from GM’s work with Li-Cycle to Nissan’s decade-long 4R Energy program, show how deeply recycling is now woven into EV manufacturing itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which EV battery recycling company recovers the most material?
CATL Brunp reports recovery rates exceeding 99% at its facilities, among the highest publicly cited figures in the industry. Redwood Materials and Li-Cycle both report recovery rates above 95%.
Do automakers recycle batteries themselves, or rely on outside companies?
Most automakers rely on partnerships with dedicated recyclers rather than building recycling capacity themselves. GM, Nissan, and Volkswagen all use third-party recyclers or joint ventures for this reason.
Is Li-Cycle still operating after its 2025 acquisition news?
Yes, Glencore’s 2025 acquisition expanded Li-Cycle’s resources and facilities rather than shutting it down. The deal included facilities in Germany, Arizona, Alabama, New York, and Ontario.
Why do so many recycling companies partner with multiple automakers at once?
Battery recycling requires significant infrastructure investment, so recyclers scale efficiently by serving several automakers rather than building separate facilities for each brand.
