13 · Transition · Updated 13 July 2026
Recycling and Secondary Supply
The map separates battery, copper, aluminium, steel and other recycling systems because their feedstocks, processes and recovered products differ.
Open the interactive map- Coverage
- 20 selected operating or developing facilities.
- Evidence period
- Status reviewed to July 2026
A recycling plant cannot run without a feedstock system
Collection, transport, sorting and legal movement of waste determine usable feedstock. Nominal plant capacity can therefore exceed available material, especially before large volumes of end-of-life EV batteries return. International Energy Agency
Manufacturing scrap and end-of-life products are shown as different feedstock phases where evidence allows. International Energy Agency and European Patent Office
Processes recover different material sets
Mechanical preprocessing, pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy recover different products and require different downstream refining. A site is not labelled complete circular supply simply because it accepts batteries. International Energy Agency
Copper and precious-metals complexes can process complex residues but are not equivalent to dedicated battery-material recovery. Metals and battery recycling operators
Secondary supply is connected back to manufacturing
Battery and metals recycling sites are linked to nearby manufacturing or refining chapters where a documented regional system exists. Industrial Atlas research team
This makes it possible to distinguish local loop closure from export of black mass, scrap or intermediate products. International Energy Agency
Recycling reduces exposure but does not remove primary supply
Rapidly growing material demand means secondary supply expands from a small stock of available end-of-life products. Recycling can reduce primary requirements materially, but it cannot immediately replace mines and refineries. International Energy Agency International Energy Agency
The chapter avoids presenting future recycling potential as current recovered output. Industrial Atlas research team
Evidence table
Current comparison
| Stream | Typical feedstock | Principal evidence issue |
|---|---|---|
| Battery materials | Manufacturing scrap and end-of-life cells | Feedstock timing and chemistry mix |
| Copper / precious metals | Electronic scrap and complex residues | Recovery yield and downstream refining |
| Aluminium | Post-consumer and process scrap | Alloy sorting and contamination |
| Steel scrap | Obsolete and prompt scrap | Quality, residuals and collection |
| Lead / other metals | Batteries and industrial residues | Environmental controls and informal flows |
Source register
Documents and datasets
Recycling potential, emissions benefits, feedstock timing and policy requirements for critical minerals.
Current systems with outlook to 2050 · IEA publication terms; cited findings and source links.Innovation trends and evidence on battery recycling technologies and circularity.
Patent and technology evidence through latest available years · Publication terms; cited findings and source links.Cross-checking public locations, process focus and operating or developing status.
Most recent public disclosure per site · Source-specific; factual references only.