India’s battery recycling industry is growing as the country shifts to electric vehicles and solar power. A formalized recycling sector could create roughly 100,000 green jobs, meet nearly 40% of domestic mineral demand and become a multi-billion-dollar market, according to RMI. Major challenges include underused capacity (about 60,000 tons), an estimated four million informal waste workers, and weak collection and enforcement of 2022 battery-waste rules. Experts urge formalization, training and investment in cleaner recycling supply chains to capture environmental and economic benefits.
India’s Battery Recycling Push Could Create 100,000 Green Jobs and Boost Mineral Security
FILE - A battery production engineer at Nunam assembles a refurbished battery pack, made from used electric vehicle batteries, at their facility in Bengaluru, India, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi, File)
BENGALURU — India’s battery recycling sector is emerging as a strategic opportunity to create jobs, reduce pollution and recover critical minerals needed for the country’s clean-energy transition. While the industry has grown rapidly over the past decade, scaling it safely and efficiently will require stronger supply chains, better enforcement of recent rules and formalizing a largely informal workforce.
A Growing Industry With Big Potential
Companies in India are increasingly reclaiming valuable metals — including lithium, cobalt and nickel — from batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs), smartphones and other electronics. According to a November report by the renewable-energy think tank RMI, a formalized recycling system could generate roughly 100,000 green jobs, supply nearly 40% of India’s demand for key minerals and support an industry valued at about $9 billion as domestic battery demand surges.
Policy Progress and Implementation Gaps
India adopted battery waste management rules in 2022 that require producers to meet collection and recycling targets and mandate environmentally safe disposal. However, enforcement and practical implementation lag: India currently has about 60,000 tons of recycling capacity, much of it underused because collection networks and downstream supply chains are incomplete. There are no dedicated national collection outlets, so individual producers must develop their own take-back systems — a challenge in a country where much recycling is done by an estimated four million informal workers.
How Recycling and Repurposing Work
A typical EV battery is roughly 1.5 meters (5 feet) long, can weigh up to 400 kilograms (882 pounds) and is generally designed to last about 160,000 kilometers (99,400 miles), or eight to 12 years. If processed correctly, up to 90% of an EV battery’s materials can be recovered. Common recycling methods include shredding battery modules into powders and smelting them in furnaces; outputs are then refined using chemical processes (hydrometallurgy or pyrometallurgy) to isolate metals. Alternatively, used batteries can be repurposed as stationary energy storage for homes and businesses after testing and refurbishment.
Environmental And Worker Safety Risks
Recycling can be hazardous if done improperly. Poor operations have led to illegal dumping of toxic residues, wastewater contaminated with heavy metals and emissions of hazardous gases during improper lithium-battery processing. Industry leaders note that many recyclers operate informally and without environmental controls, which raises both public-health and reputational risks for the sector.
Strategic And Economic Benefits
Recovering metals domestically would reduce India’s dependence on imports for critical minerals; India currently lacks operational lithium mines and relies on global supply chains dominated by other countries. Some industry experts point to China’s approach: treating recycling as a strategic, integrated part of the value chain even when recycling alone is not highly profitable. If India builds a reliable, environmentally sound recycling ecosystem, domestic firms could capture more value and possibly grow into major players.
Path Forward
Experts recommend several priorities: create formal training programs to transition informal scrap workers into safe, regulated jobs; offer state and federal support for collection networks and startups that adopt clean operations; standardize producer take-back schemes; and strengthen enforcement of the 2022 rules while incentivizing cleaner recycling technologies. Formalization and investment in safe processing will be critical to realize the job creation, mineral security and environmental benefits cited by industry and researchers.
“Formalization will really help drive safety and accountability, especially considering that batteries are both defined by their toxicity as well as their potential,” said Marie McNamara of RMI.
The industry still faces hurdles, but if momentum continues India could develop a sizable domestic recycling sector that supports climate goals, reduces import dependence and creates jobs.
