Business case

Producing transportation equipment for the movement of goods and people by air, rail, sea, and land, including airplanes, spacecraft and military equipment, ships, boats, rail locomotives and rolling stock, motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, and related equipment, as well as repair services for such equipment

Transportation Equipment

Working together with industry peers to engage in business activities or exploratory projects that advance the circular economy

Joint industry ventures, projects, pilots

Other

Industries

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The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

Urban Opportunities

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Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

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A customer checking out the new Jeep Cherokee might be more intrigued by the novel nine-speed transmission than by what's inside the air conditioner compressor. But the refrigerant flowing through the veins of the Cherokee's air conditioner, a formulation called 1234yf, might be just as crucial as the gearbox to Chrysler's strategy for satisfying strict new environmental rules in the United States and Europe. Auto companies are moving quickly to adopt 1234yf, despite its higher costs and a safety scare that raised concerns about possible toxic leaks. Regulators like it because it leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions than the chemical used in most vehicles today, which is called R134A. Another big incentive: Vehicles that use the new refrigerant, like the Cherokee, qualify for tradable credits from the EPA, helping them comply with new fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards that will double to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg by 2025.  "We're a strong supporter of 1234yf as the new environmentally friendly refrigerant for the industry," said Michael Rinaldi, a senior manager for HVAC systems at Chrysler. Until recently, that switch seemed threatened by Daimler's objections. The automaker stunned the industry in September 2012 with tests showing 1234yf catching fire and spewing toxic gas into the cabin of a Mercedes-Benz B-class hatchback. But the storm cloud now seems to have passed. A study released in April by SAE International, with participation from the Detroit 3 and several Asian automakers, concluded that 1234yf is "safe and effective," and went so far as to suggest that Daimler may have designed its tests to show a problem. A second analysis, released in August by the German environmental regulator KBA, concluded the new refrigerant is somewhat riskier than R134A, but not dangerous. Daimler's claims "caused everyone in the industry to pause and take stock, in case something had been missed," said Ken Gayer, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Fluorine Products, which holds the patents on the new refrigerant along with DuPont. "We feel that the concerns over the use of 1234yf have been significantly assuaged through all of these findings." At this point, half a million vehicles on the road worldwide use 1234yf, including the Cadillac XTS and Honda Fit EV in U.S. showrooms. That number will increase rapidly in 2017, when a European mandate takes effect, so Honeywell is ramping up production. Honeywell said this month that together with its suppliers, it will invest $300 million to produce 1234yf at its chemical manufacturing facility in Geismar, La., starting in 2016.

Germany

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Volkswagen

<p>Daimler and BMW already were in the process of developing an airconditioning based on CO2 technology as a more climate-friendly refrigerant for its automotive air-conditioning systems. CO2 as a refrigerant — also known as R744 — is a naturally occurring gas with lower greenhouse gas effects than conventional refrigerants, and is ideal for use in specially designed automotive air-conditioning systems. Audi and Porsche, two more automakers that fall under the Volkswagen Group, will also switch to CO2 technology in mobile air conditioning systems as an alternative to R-1234yf.</p>

Joint industry project for CO2 based air conditioning

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Circle Economy and ICLEI have partnered up to initiate the go to knowledge hub of case studies about the circular economy in cities. The Cities Collection is a repository of case studies that demonstrate the role of cities in the circular transition, and includes policies, business cases and research articles. Cases in the Collection flow into an ecosystem of digital products which support users in transitioning cities to circularity, for example [Ganbatte](https://ganbatte.world/cities/) and <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/" target="_blank">ICLEI Circulars</a>, both part of the <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/circle-lab-for-cities/" target = _blank">Circle Lab for Cities Programme.</a>




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Circular Cities

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This collection features a selection of case studies, based on the global *Circularity Gap Reports*, that can mitigate climate breakdown by reducing virgin material consumption, waste and greenhouse gas emissions. The latest **[Circularity Gap Report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023#download)** reveals that the global economy is now only 7.2% circular and outlines how circular solutions across four sectors can bring global planetary boundaries back within safe limits. 

In the six years of the *Circularity Gap Report*, the global economy has extracted and used unprecedented amounts of materials. The first edition of the *Report *in 2018 found that global circularity was 9.1% and it has decreased every year since—leaving a Circularity Gap of over 90%. If this trend continues, we will have to find more and better solutions to combat the negative effects of climate change. This is why we have identified case studies from across the globe—based on the needs of society and planetary health—that serve as real-world examples of the circular economy in action.

Circle Economy is a not-for-profit organisation working to accelerate the circular transition. Through the *Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative*, our mission is to deliver an annual global Circularity Metric that measures the state of the world economy and identifies key levers to transition to global circularity. With nature as our guide, we work alongside cross-sector stakeholders from academia, businesses, NGOs and governments to provide a powerful combination of practical and scalable interventions that transform circular opportunities into realities. 


To learn more about these interventions to accelerate the circular transition, read the latest [Circularity Gap Report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023#download), as well as previous editions of the global [Circularity Gap Reports](https://www.circularity-gap.world/global).

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Global Circularity Gap Report 2023

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Starter Kit collection

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Impacts on the social fabric of the community and well-being of the individuals and families.

Social Impact

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Impact on the quantity or quality of jobs, and shifts in the labour market

Jobs

Direct and indirect effects that increase revenues or the potential for new revenues, for example from new products, customer segments, partnerships or business models

Revenue Potential

Impact on the ease of innovation, and facilitating uptake of innovations

Innovation

Scalability

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Reduced use of fossil fuel energy sources and/or increased use of renewable energy

Reduce Energy Consumption

Extracting resources and processing them to produce materials for use bysociety

Materials and Fuels

Producing transporation equipment and providing services for thetransportation of goods and people

Transportation and Logistics

Producing and providing business and consumer goods and services

Goods and Services

Societal Services

Collecting waste from households and businesses by means of refuse bins, wheeled bins, containers, etc., and providing treatment, incineration, materials recovery and reclamation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste

Waste Management

Producing electronics products for businesses and consumers, including cellular phones, personal computers, printers, servers, electronic computer components and peripherals, TVs, audio equipment, as well as household appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

Electronics and Appliances

Extracting resources and minerals from the earth, such as coal, oil, gas, iron, bauxite, sand, clay, etc.

Mining

Producing basic and specialty chemicals, inks, agricultural chemical such as fertilisers and pesticides, plastics including packaging, and rubber

Chemical and Plastic

Refining and processing ores and producing ferrous and non-ferrous metal and glass products, including packaging

Metal and Glass

Utilise waste streams as a source of secondary resources and recover waste for reuse and recycling

Use waste as a resource

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within the same industry

Valorise waste streams - closed loop

Using waste materials that have been processed and recycled to produce new products within the same industry

Using closed loop recycled materials

Research and facilitate new technological developments to aid the transition to a circular economy.

Research and Development

Do better with less by using and supporting infrastructure, processes and products that are designed to minimize material, water and energy use and waste generation from production to end of use


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Reduce

Eliminate waste by maximizing the recovery of resources at the end of the use phase so that they can be reintroduced into production processes


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Recover

Put enablers in place that allow circular businessesto grow, thrive and innovate (e.g. incubators, start-up funding, partnerships, innovation deals, business capacity building and testing groundsfor new business models).


Support circular and resource-efficient business innovations

Process waste into valuable industrial inputs or consumer products; distribute processed waste to users.

Process waste and ensure its re-entry into industry at its highest value

The demand for transport is rising globally—but current modes are heavily material- and fossil-fuels-intensive. Emissions from the transport system could grow by 60% by 2050, and transport is the number-one user of oil worldwide. GHG emissions result not only in warming global temperatures, but also in ocean acidification, which has severe consequences for entire ecosystems and further destabilises our climate. The transport system also drives land-use change and biodiversity loss through the development of infrastructure—also releasing harmful pollutants into the ocean. Key circular solutions:

- Embrace and enable car-free lifestyles
- Invest in high-quality public transport
- Rethink unnecessary air travel
- Electrify remaining vehicles

🚌 Mobility Systems

Businesses

The most common and visible problems associated with vehicle use and transportation in cities are road accidents, air pollution, or traffic congestion. However, vehicles also present a problem at the end of their life. They continue to take up space in landfill (although sometimes in a compacted form), and even if fossil fuel vehicles are phased out, the shift to electric vehicles in the short term could lead to more internal combustion engine vehicles being scrapped, and to a mountain of battery waste in the longer term.

High-value reuse, and recycling of vehicles and their components, is key to a sustainable future of mobility. When reuse is not an option, advanced recycling technologies can extract valuable raw materials, such as lithium and cobalt, before batteries are disposed of. This would not only reduce the burden on incinerators and landfills, but could provide a new, local and circular source of critical materials for the automotive industry. 

Although only few initiatives exist at the municipal level to support high-value reuse and recycling of vehicle components, many initiatives are being supported at national level and businesses are taking the lead in implementing pilot projects across Europe. In the future, local governments could support the recycling of materials by implementing environmental standards for pollution reduction, dismantling, crushing and shredding of vehicles, as well as financial incentives (such as tax rebates and subsidies.) for remanufacturing of cars and part recovery. Alternatively, cities could ban the landfilling of scrap metals and batteries without any previous treatment. Collaboration and engagement with local businesses can help local governments to accelerate research and disseminate knowledge about circular economy approaches to end-of-life vehicle management. 


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🚌  Recycling of vehicle components

Designing vehicles for maximum efficiency of resources is key in the circular economy. Circular design can allow vehicles to be manufactured using less resources, be easily remanufactured, parts to be swapped in and out (‘modular’), and/or space in the vehicle be reconfigured. Whereas digital technology can advance resource effective manufacturing techniques and support the automation of vehicles for sharing and mobility-as-a-service schemes.

For instance, vehicles can be ‘retrofitted’ to run off batteries, remanufactured, or designed to be dismantled and allow the reuse of parts and recycling of materials. And when batteries cannot be reused to power a passenger car any longer, they can be reused for less demanding tasks, such as storage of electricity from wind turbines and solar farms.

Cities can support business innovation towards these directions via direct financial and fiscal business support, by collaborating and engaging with circular businesses through urban Living Labs or other mechanisms, as well as setting up eco-industrial parks where by-products of one company can become a resource for another. 


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🚌  Circular vehicle design and circular business models

A considerable resource footprint is taken up by our need for mobility. In particular, two resource types are used: the materials to build transport technologies and vehicles like cars, trains and airplanes; plus, predominantly, the fossil fuels burned to power them.



Mobility

- Recycle vehicles at end-of-use
- Use recycled metal and plastics for vehicles

Saving: 1.50 Gt emissions and 3.33 Gt material use

🚗  Circular vehicles

Cycle strategies aim to cycle and reuse materials at their highest value: they maximise the volume of secondary materials re-entering the economy, ultimately minimising the need for virgin material inputs and therefore also narrowing flows. Of course, virgin materials will always be needed to a degree: all materials degrade and can’t be cycled infinitely, use energy, and require blending with virgin materials to maintain strength and functionality.

Cycle

Impacts

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The Circular City Actions Framework provides urban changemakers with five complementary strategies they can use to start working towards a more circular system. 

The framework is action-based to provide users with concrete strategic directions and showcase the desired outcomes of each strategy. 
The framework consists of five complementary **strategies**, under which **sub-strategies** provide further detail. Finally, each sub-strategy consists of a diversity of tangible **solutions** which are framed in relation to key thematic areas. 

Note: solutions are currently focused on:
- 🍏 **Food systems**
- 🏢  **Built environment**
- 👕📱  **Consumer goods**
- ⚡ **Energy Systems**
- 🚌 **Mobility Systems**
- 💧 **Water Systems**

More thematic areas are coming soon...

'Click through each of the five strategy cards below to explore the framework and circular economy case studies in more depth!'



This framework was developed in collaboration with ICLEI, Metabolic and Ellen MacArthur Foundation with support from the MAVA Foundation. Read more about it [here]( https://circulars.iclei.org/action-framework/). 



Circular City Actions Framework

An action-based framework for local governments working towards circular cities

Thematic Areas

City Stakeholders

The framework consists of 21 complementary interventions, across six scenarios - one for each of the six societal needs we model. These interventions can mitigate climate impact by curbing GHG emissions

Note: interventions are currently focused on:
- 🏠 Housing 
- 🍎 Nutrition
- 🚗 Mobility
- 👚📺 Consumables
- 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️ Healthcare
-  🔊 Communication

These 21 interventions are spread across six societal needs and wants, with a set of solutions. Within these solutions are strategies on ’how to get there'.  

The framework moves beyond incremental action and provides solutions that will require behavioral change (dietary shifts towards less meat consumption, for example) and the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies in the industry to mitigate emissions in hard-to-abate sectors (such as steel manufacturing). It illustrates how continued globalisation can benefit from the uptake of digital solutions. The combined interventions showcase the mitigation potential that begins where the current country pledges end; illustrating the additional impact our interventions can bring to the NDCs. In short, the interventions provide input for a more profound fundamental transformation than the more current pathways that make up the vast majority of NDCs. 

Together, the combined interventions can almost double the current global Circularity Metric of 8.6%, bringing it to 17%. 

This results in:
• Shrinking global material use and extraction by 28%. 
• Cutting global GHG emissions by 39%—fully closing the Emissions Gap as defined in our report and taking into account the updated NDCs.
• Allowing the world to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping at 1.5-degrees of warming by 2032.

*This framework was developed in the Circularity Gap Report 2021. Read more about it [here](https://www.circle-economy.com/resources/circularity-gap-report-2021)*






Global Circularity Gap Report

An intervention-based framework for nations and stakeholders working towards circular countries



With electric cars gaining popularity, the recycling of EV batteries must keep up with the pace. Volkswagen Group Components has opened the group’s first plant for recycling electric car batteries in Salzgitter, and pilot operation has started in the Lower Saxony city.
The VW Group says that this is part of of its “committed step towards sustainable end-to-end responsibility for the entire value chain of the electric vehicle battery”. The aim is the industrialised recovery of valuable raw materials such as lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt in a closed loop together with aluminium, copper and plastics, achieving a recycling rate of more than 90% over the long term.
The unique feature of the Salzgitter plant is that it only recycles batteries that can no longer be used for other purposes. Before the battery is recycled, an analysis determines whether the battery is still powerful enough to be given a second life in mobile energy storage systems, such as the flexible rapid charging station or the mobile charging robot, for instance. 

Larger volumes of battery returns are not expected until the late 2020s at the earliest. Therefore, the plant has been designed to initially recycle up to 3,600 battery systems per year during the pilot phase – this is the equivalent to approximately 1,500 tonnes. In future, the system can be scaled up to handle larger quantities.
VW says that the CO2-saving recycling process does not require energy-intensive melting in a blast furnace. The used battery systems are delivered, deep discharged, and dismantled. Individual parts are ground into granules in the shredder and then dried. In addition to aluminium, copper and plastics, the process also yields valuable “black powder”, which contains the important raw materials for batteries such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese, as well as graphite. 
The separation and processing of the individual substances by hydrometallurgical processes using water and chemical agents is subsequently carried out by specialised partners. 

“As a consequence, essential components of old battery cells can be used to produce new cathode material. From research, we know that recycled battery raw materials are just as efficient as new ones. In future, we intend to support our battery cell production with the material we recover. Given that the demand for batteries and the corresponding raw materials will increase drastically, we can put every gram of recycled material to good use,” said Mark Möller, head of the technical development and e-mobility business unit.
The CO2 savings are calculated at approximately 1.3 tonnes per 62 kWh battery manufactured using cathodes made from recycled material and using green electricity. 



Something is happening in Salzgitter that has never been seen before in the Volkswagen Group – the first plant for recycling used electric car batteries is beginning operations. We look back at the development of this innovative and sustainable process.







Battery recycling, made in Salzgitter: all of these components of used batteries are recovered on site.




The ID.3 and ID.4 models open a new chapter for the Volkswagen brand and the entire Group, by making electromobility suitable for mass production. Electricity is needed to operate the e-vehicles, stored in many small battery cells and modules the size of a shoebox. They are the heart of the e-vehicle – and its key components. But what happens when a battery reaches the end of its life? The solution was discovered by Volkswagen Group Research and Development and made production-ready together with Volkswagen Group Components: an innovative and sustainable process for battery recycling that Volkswagen Group Components is now using in a pilot plant at its Salzgitter site.“Our goal is to create our own circular process in which more than 90 percent of each of our batteries is recycled,” says Thomas Tiedje, Head of Technical Planning at Volkswagen Component. “We don’t want to hand the process over at any point but prefer to train our employees and thus make them fit for the future.” The distinctive aspect: only batteries that can no longer be used in any other way are sent for recycling. Before that, the modules built into the battery system are checked to see if they are still in good condition and could possibly be given a second life in mobile energy storage systems such as flexible, fast-charging stations or charging robots. This significantly extends the use-phase life of the modules.From research to development: How Volkswagen ended up recyclingA carmaker that recycles in-house? Around 12 years ago, the idea of Volkswagen doctoral student Stella Konietzko initially caused some bewilderment. The geologist wanted to investigate the sources from which metals such as lithium, cobalt, steel and aluminum could be recovered for the automotive industry – and what role Volkswagen Group itself could play in this. A subject that was actually still a long way off at the time and yet at the same time so relevant that it quickly became a major research project at the Technical University (TU) of Braunschweig. Together with ten other partner companies, the TU and Volkswagen Group developed a process for recycling lithium-ion batteries from 2009 to 2011 to test its feasibility. The winner: the LithoRec process, which is now being put into practice in Salzgitter. But in 2011, the automotive market still looked very different. The Volkswagen brand cracked the five million mark in deliveries for the first time, the Volkswagen up! was the model of the moment, and MAN was freshly part of the Group. There were barely any recyclable batteries from e-cars around. Nevertheless, development of the LithoRec process was ongoing in Volkswagen’s Technical Development department. “We didn’t start too early, but just in time. Now we have the chance to start with a process that is really economically and ecologically sustainable in the end, without having to rush anything,” explains Marko Gernuks, Head of Life Cycle Optimization at Volkswagen. He has accompanied LithoRec as a project manager for years. 


 
On its way to a new life: Spent battery modules enter the recycling plant.




How does battery recycling work?Until now, used batteries have mostly been recycled in a pyrometallurgical process. In simpler terms, they simply end up in the blast furnace. Volkswagen Group Components first uses a mechanical process: Once the battery enters the recycling process, it is first drained and dismantled. Initial raw materials such as its aluminum casing, copper cable and plastic are already recovered here and returned to the production cycle. Then the battery modules are heavily crushed under a protective atmosphere and the escaping liquid electrolyte turns them into a moist mass, the granulate. This is dried, passed through various sieves and a magnetic belt, and thus becomes finer and finer. Eventually, a so-called “black powder” is produced, which contains, among other things, valuable graphite as well as lithium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel. A partner company from the chemical industry then separates it into its individual components using a hydrometallurgical process, i.e. using water and solvents. These can be used as secondary raw material for the construction of cathodes of new batteries – without any loss of quality compared to new, primary material.


 
Looks like a spaceship, but is part of the pilot plant in Salzgitter.




The future’s circularWith this so-called closed-loop approach, Volkswagen Group Components aims to create a closed material cycle that will not only reduce the Group’s primary demand for raw materials in the long term, but can also significantly reduce the CO2 footprint of the batteries. “If we produce our cathodes exclusively from recycled material, we will save more than one ton of CO2 per vehicle,” says Thomas Tiedje. The first step into industrialized battery recycling therefore contributes directly to climate protection. In the long term, the professional disposal of the battery and the reprocessing of its valuable components has an ecologically and economically sustainable effect. If the costs fall, the customer benefits. This is another goal of the circular economy of future mobility. The next steps at Volkswagen Group Components in Salzgitter are therefore: optimize, optimize, optimize. As soon as the pilot plant has reached its capacity limit, larger plants can follow – so that e-mobility becomes suitable for mass production despite limited raw materials.


 
How the battery cell works It is the smallest unit in a battery system, can store and release energy – the battery cell. In the cell, electrical energy is converted into chemical energy (charging) – and vice versa (discharging). The core components are two electrodes: the anode and the cathode. The two are separated by a separator that is permeable to lithium ions. A conductive liquid – the electrolyte – surrounds both. During charging, lithium ions migrate from the cathode toward the anode and transfer electrons to the cathode. In the process, they pass through the separator and pick up electrons at the anode. During discharging, lithium ions migrate back toward the cathode, and the discharged current can be used for energy consumers. Currently, many of these cells are used in the MEB battery systems. Several cells are interconnected to form a module and several modules are interconnected to form a battery system.

 
  Press Release and Interview with Thomas Schmall and Mark Möller
 Statements and fact sheet
 
 
 

 
Volkswagen Group Components opened the Group’s first plant for recycling electric car batteries in Salzgitter. The aim is the industrialized recovery of valuable raw materials such as lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt in a closed loop together with aluminum, copper and plastics, achieving a recycling rate of more than 90% over the long term.
 
The Salzgitter plant only recycles batteries that can no longer be used for other purposes. Before the battery is recycled, an analysis determines whether the battery is still powerful enough to be given a second life in mobile energy storage systems such as the flexible rapid charging station or the mobile charging robot.  
Larger volumes of battery returns are not expected until the late 2020s at the earliest. Therefore, the plant has been designed to initially recycle up to 3,600 battery systems per year during the pilot phase—this is the equivalent to more than 1,600 tons. In future, the system can be scaled up to handle larger quantities as the process is consistently optimized.
 
The recycling process does not require energy-intensive melting in a blast furnace. The used battery systems are delivered, deep discharged, and dismantled. The individual parts are ground into granules in the shredder and then dried.  
  
 
In addition to aluminum, copper and plastics, the process also yields valuable “black powder”, which contains the important raw materials for batteries such as lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt, as well as graphite. The separation and processing of the individual substances by hydrometallurgical processes—using water and chemical agents—is subsequently carried out by specialized partners.
  As a consequence, essential components of old battery cells can be used to produce new cathode material. From research, we know that recycled battery raw materials are just as efficient as new ones. In the future, we intend to support our battery cell production with the material we recover. Given that the demand for batteries and the corresponding raw materials will increase drastically, we can put every gram of recycled material to good use.—Mark Möller, Head of the Business Unit Technical Development & E-Mobility 

Salzgitter

<p>Volkswagen Group Components has opened the group’s first plant for recycling electric car batteries in Salzgitter, and pilot operation has started in the Lower Saxony city. The plant uses for the first time a mechanical process to drain and dismantle the batteries in their components so that they can be recovered and returned to the production cycle.</p>