Battery recycling market seen topping $39B by 2030

The Business Research Company says the global battery recycling market will exceed $39 billion by 2030, driven by electric vehicle growth, tighter environmental rules and rising demand for critical minerals. Asia-Pacific is expected to lead regional expansion, while lead-acid batteries remain the largest recycling segment.

Why it matters: - Battery recycling is moving from a niche waste-management business to a core part of the battery supply chain. - The market is being pulled by electric vehicle production, energy storage buildout and pressure to recover scarce materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. - The report frames battery recycling as a direct lever for lowering mining dependence and improving supply-chain resilience.

What happened: - The Business Research Company published its Battery Recycling Global Market Report 2026 – Market Size, Trends, And Forecast 2026-2035 on Oct. 27, 2026. - The report says the battery recycling market will surpass $39 billion by 2030. - The market is forecast to grow at about 12% annually through 2030. - The report puts battery recycling at about 19% of the broader batteries market by 2030. - The report values the broader batteries market at nearly $204 billion by 2030. - Battery recycling is projected to account for about 0.7% of the $5,579 billion electrical and electronics industry by 2030.

The details: - EV adoption and energy storage growth are expected to add about 2.9% annually to market growth. - Tightening environmental regulations and extended producer responsibility policies are expected to add about 2.7% annually. - Recovering critical raw materials is projected to contribute about 2.2% annual growth. - Recycling processes are being used to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and lead. - The report says recycled content can reduce costs, improve sustainability and cut reliance on primary mining. - In October 2025, NavPrakriti Green Energies Pvt. Ltd. opened Eastern India’s first lithium-ion battery recycling plant. - That plant can process 1,000 tonnes a month. - The facility is designed to support battery-grade chemicals and second-life battery applications. - Lead-acid batteries are expected to dominate recycling in 2030 with 60% of the market, or $23 billion. - The report cites automotive and industrial use, established recycling systems, high replacement rates and the value of recovered lead as the main reasons. - The market is segmented by material extraction, reuse, repackaging and second-life applications. - End-use segments include automotive, consumer electronics, industrial and other applications.

Between the lines: - The report signals that battery recycling is becoming a strategic industrial policy issue, not just an environmental one. - The emphasis on EPR rules and collection systems suggests regulation is now shaping market structure as much as demand growth. - The dominance of lead-acid recycling shows the sector still depends on mature battery chemistries even as lithium-ion capacity expands. - The market remains moderately fragmented, with the top 10 players accounting for 17% of revenue in 2025. - Entry barriers remain high because operators must manage hazardous waste and deploy advanced metal recovery technology. - Umicore NV/SA led the market in 2025 with a 5% global share. - Umicore’s recycling and specialty materials unit offers battery collection, metal recovery, refining and recycling services for electric vehicle, consumer electronic and industrial batteries.

What's next: - Asia-Pacific is projected to be the largest regional market by 2030 at $15 billion, up from $8 billion in 2025. - The region is forecast to grow at a 13% CAGR. - China, Japan, South Korea and India are expected to benefit from circular economy policies and expanding recycling infrastructure. - The USA is projected to be the largest single-country market at $7 billion in 2030, up from $4 billion in 2025. - The U.S. market is forecast to grow at a 14% CAGR. - More recycling capacity, automation and AI-assisted sorting are expected to improve efficiency and material traceability. - The report says the combined lead-acid, nickel-based, lithium-based and other battery segments will add more than $17 billion in value by 2030. - Lead-acid batteries are expected to add $10 billion, lithium-based batteries $5 billion, and nickel-based and other battery types $1 billion each.

The bottom line: - Battery recycling is set to grow fast because EVs, regulation and materials scarcity are converging. - The market’s near-term winners will likely be operators that can scale collection, recovery and processing while meeting stricter environmental standards.