Battery production in Europe is predicted to increase 17-fold over the next decade. With exponential growth in any manufacturing industry, sustainability becomes paramount. Many mines which provide the critical minerals required for batteries are in biodiverse areas with sensitive ecosystems. As existing mines expand and new mining contracts are granted, governments and companies involved in extraction will need to work together to ensure that this biodiversity is protected for the benefit of all of us. The three pillars of sustainability are reduce, reuse and recycle. Although we won’t be reducing our battery use any time soon, there is certainly a focus on the reuse and recycling of batteries and their components. Spent EV batteries could be repurposed within a battery bank to store surplus energy for the grid, and innovative chemical processes are being developed to enable the separation and extraction of the valuable metals from within the electrodes of batteries reaching the end of their usable life. Other technological developments are focussed on improving the chemistry within batteries so that they can be recharged a greater number of times before they eventually fail, effectively increasing their life and reducing waste. Policymakers are also powering battery sustainability. The EU is committed to fostering a circular economy for batteries. From 1 July 2024, all rechargeable industrial and EV batteries will require a carbon footprint declaration, which will eventually transition into a mandatory maximum lifecycle carbon footprint threshold. This comes alongside a “battery passport” which will register information on each battery model placed on the market. |
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