Europe’s battery recycling sector is rapidly shifting from an environmental initiative into a core critical raw materials strategy, driven by rising demand for lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and other battery metals. At the center of this transformation is black mass — the shredded, chemically rich output of spent lithium-ion batteries and production scrap — now emerging as a key industrial feedstock rather than waste.
Under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Union aims for 25% of strategic raw material demand to be met through recycling by 2030. This policy turns battery recycling into a structural pillar of Europe’s industrial security, linking waste streams directly to the continent’s tech and energy transition supply chains.
Fortum Builds Europe’s Flagship Hydrometallurgical Recycling Hub
Fortum is one of Europe’s most advanced battery recyclers, operating its Harjavalta facility in Finland, widely regarded as the continent’s largest closed-loop hydrometallurgical recycling plant. The site currently processes around 3,000 tonnes of black mass annually, converting end-of-life batteries into reusable metal intermediates.
Fortum’s Next Hydromet project is designed to push efficiency further by improving hydrometallurgical recovery while reducing chemical waste. The company’s approach highlights a key reality of the sector: black mass only becomes valuable after complex chemical refinement, not at the shredding stage.
Umicore Strengthens Europe’s Industrial Recycling Backbone
Umicore, headquartered in Belgium, remains one of Europe’s most established players in metallurgical recycling and battery materials recovery. Its Battery Recycling Solutions division is focused on extracting lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper and converting them into battery-grade outputs suitable for reuse in industrial supply chains.
According to its latest operational update, the division continues to develop in line with strategic targets, reinforcing Umicore’s position as a long-term industrial anchor in Europe’s battery materials ecosystem.
Altilium Pushes UK Battery Recycling Into Commercial Scale
Altilium Metals represents the United Kingdom’s growing ambition in EV battery recycling and circular materials production. In April 2026, the company secured £18.5 million in funding to scale operations and develop the UK’s first commercial facility dedicated to recovering critical battery metals.
Earlier reports also confirmed investment support from Japanese trading house Marubeni, signaling international confidence in the UK’s emerging recycling infrastructure. Altilium’s goal is to convert domestic battery waste into a reliable source of strategic materials for the energy transition and tech manufacturing sector.
Nth Cycle Expands Black Mass Processing Into Europe
Nth Cycle, based in the United States, is expanding its relevance to Europe through a planned processing footprint in the Netherlands. The company has signed a 10-year, US$1.1 billion offtake agreement with Trafigura for nickel and lithium carbonate derived from black mass processing.
Supported by a €7.5 million EU CRM Lion grant, Nth Cycle aims to scale its modular refining technology across Europe by 2028. Its strategy highlights a growing trend: recycling firms are no longer just waste processors, but integrated suppliers in global battery metals supply chains.
Glencore Brings Scale and Trading Power to Recycling
Glencore has added major industrial weight to the sector through its acquisition of Li-Cycle in 2025. The business is now being integrated into Glencore Battery Recycling, combining recycling technology with global trading, logistics, and metal marketing capabilities.
This integration reflects a critical shift: successful battery recyclers must control not only processing technology, but also feedstock access, financing strength, and global offtake channels.
Europe’s Black Mass Opportunity—and Its Challenge
Despite strong momentum, Europe’s recycling industry still faces structural challenges. The value of black mass is clear, but profitability depends on several complex factors: secure feedstock supply, stable chemical processing, impurity management, regulatory approvals, and long-term customer qualification with battery manufacturers.
The companies best positioned in this evolving landscape are those that combine four pillars:
feedstock access, hydrometallurgical processing capability, offtake agreements, and financial resilience.
