Battery Recycling Europe 2026

Event Review:

When Battery Recycling Europe 2026 convened in London last week, the key take-away was this: The future of battery recovery depends on industry collaboration, regulatory clarity and technological innovation, ideally in sync.

ERP UK are experts in battery compliance. For John Redmayne, Managing Director at ERP UK, the two-day conference provided a vital platform to address some of the sector's most pressing challenges.

John, delivered a keynote that cut straight to the heart of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the role of Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) in shaping a sustainable battery ecosystem. His presentation explored three critical areas:

• The evolving responsibilities of PROs
• Regulatory blind spots that threaten compliance
• The urgent need for fair cost distribution models across different battery chemistries

The evolving role of PROs in battery lifecycle management

John's keynote opened with a fundamental question: What should the role of a PRO actually be in 2026 and beyond? As battery volumes surge and chemistries diversify, PROs are being asked to do far more than simply collect compliance fees and arrange recycling.

"We're seeing PROs transition from administrative bodies to strategic partners in the circular economy," John explained to the assembled audience of recyclers, manufacturers and policymakers. He went on to outline how this evolution encompasses several key functions:

• Producer engagement has become more sophisticated, requiring PROs to work closely with battery manufacturers and importers to help them understand their obligations.
• Product data collection is no longer a box-ticking exercise but a critical intelligence-gathering operation that drives everything from collection infrastructure to recycling capacity planning.
• The producer funding flow remains central to the EPR model, but it's become more nuanced. PROs must now manage contracted collections, sorting operations and recycling partnerships whilst ensuring transparency and value for money.
• Consumer education has emerged as a crucial activity. Helping households understand which batteries need recycling and where to take them remains fundamental to success.
• Perhaps most significantly, PROs are now expected to contribute to strategy development at both national and EU levels, helping shape policy that's workable, enforceable and genuinely drives circular economy outcomes.

Addressing regulatory blind spots: the e-bike challenge

One of the most compelling sections of John's presentation tackled a regulatory blind spot that's growing more problematic by the day: e-bikes and non-portable battery streams.

Under current EU Battery Regulation, e-bikes are classified as industrial batteries. That sounds straightforward until you consider the reality on the ground. The scope of "e-bikes" extends far beyond traditional bicycles to include e-scooters, e-mopeds, e-motorcycles, hoverboards, e-unicycles, e-golf buggies and e-mobility chairs.

These devices are everywhere. They're in households, not industrial facilities. Yet the regulatory framework treats them as industrial products, creating a disconnect between classification and practical collection infrastructure. These are what the EU regulation defines as Light Means of Transport (LMT).

"We're likely to need collection and recycling solutions within the household system for these widely used devices," John argued. "The current framework doesn't reflect how people actually use and dispose of these products."

This blind spot matters because it affects who pays, who collects and ultimately whether these batteries get recycled at all. As e-mobility adoption accelerates, the gap between regulation and reality will only widen unless PROs, regulators and industry work together to find pragmatic solutions.

Cost distribution models: not all batteries are created equal

The final pillar of John's keynote addressed perhaps the most contentious issue in battery EPR: how to distribute costs fairly when battery chemistries vary so dramatically in recycling value.

The economics are stark. Some battery chemistries generate positive value. Recyclers will pay £100 or more per tonne for materials they can recover and sell. Others cost £10,000 per tonne to process safely, with little or no material value to offset those costs.

Add to this the fact that many batteries aren't easily removable - they're glued or sealed into electrical and electronic equipment - and you have a cost distribution puzzle that keeps compliance managers awake at night.

John posed the critical questions: Who should bear the cost for expensive batteries? Should it be based on chemistry, application or some other factor? And what's the long-term role of PROs in managing these cost disparities? Should they also act as operators, or purely as coordinators?

These questions have real implications for legislation redesign – and should follow through to producer fees, recycling infrastructure investment and ultimately whether the EPR system delivers on its circular economy promise.

The UK is currently looking at revising the 2009 battery regulations – and considering the EU’s recently implemented Battery Regulation (EUBR) as a template – so there is a live opportunity to update the UK regulation to address such issues and seek a more future focused set of regulations.

Battery Recycling Europe 2026 - Key conference learnings

Beyond John's keynote, Battery Recycling Europe 2026 delivered a masterclass in the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

Regulatory compliance and sustainability dominated discussions. The EU's updated Batteries Regulation is accelerating the need for stringent, auditable data on recycled content, carbon footprints and supply-chain traceability. Digital Battery Passports are moving from concept to requirement, demanding new data infrastructure across the value chain.

Technological innovation emerged as both solution and challenge. The industry is shifting toward advanced, low-energy techniques like direct recycling to achieve 95%+ material recovery rates. There's a major push for higher efficiency in recovering lithium, cobalt and nickel to meet 2030 targets of 50-70% recovery for critical raw materials. Yet scaling these technologies requires investment that many operators struggle to secure.

Market dynamics revealed a sector grappling with volatility. Closed-loop models are becoming favoured by OEMs seeking to secure critical materials, yet a balance with open-loop contracts is necessary to manage price swings. The near-term raw material supply crunch means the industry must bridge gaps through advanced, sustainable recycling methods whilst building long-term capacity.

Infrastructure and safety concerns ran through multiple sessions. Rapid investment is needed for safe, automated, high-capacity recycling infrastructure, particularly for handling the rise in LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries and mitigating fire risks in the recycling chain. The conference heard sobering accounts of fires destroying machinery worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. This served as a reminder that safety isn't optional.

Regional competition added urgency to some discussions. While Europe is investing heavily, it faces stiff competition from China's highly efficient hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy operations. Speed-to-market for European recycling facilities has become critical if the continent wants to capture value from its own battery waste stream.

ERP UK's commitment to battery EPR excellence

What became clear throughout Battery Recycling Europe 2026 is that knowledge sharing drives change. It's at events like these that recyclers, manufacturers, PROs and policymakers can challenge assumptions, share practical insights and build the relationships that turn regulatory requirements into operational reality.

ERP UK has been at the forefront of battery EPR for years, building deep expertise[3] in compliance management, take-back programmes and producer education. That legacy matters because battery regulations are only getting more complex. Producers need partners who understand not just the rules, but the practical realities of collection, sorting and recycling across different chemistries and applications.

The value locked in end-of-life batteries is enormous. This is both in recoverable materials and in the environmental benefits of keeping hazardous substances out of landfill. Yet realising that value requires expertise, infrastructure and commitment that goes beyond tick-box compliance.

ERP UK remains a vocal participant in driving industry best practice forward. Whether it's working with local authorities to improve household collection, helping producers navigate the complexities of industrial battery streams, or contributing to policy discussions that shape the regulatory landscape, the focus is on making battery EPR work in practice, not just on paper.

Acting on key learnings

The insights from Battery Recycling Europe 2026 reinforce what ERP UK has long understood: battery compliance is evolving rapidly, and producers need expert guidance to navigate the changes ahead.

If you're a battery producer looking to understand your obligations, optimise your compliance costs or ensure your products are properly managed at end-of-life, ERP UK's team can help. With comprehensive solutions covering registration, reporting, recycling and regulatory updates, we make battery compliance straightforward.

Related blogs 

And you can read John Redmayne's recent Q&A on batteries, where he explores the challenges and opportunities shaping the sector.

Contact ERP UK today to discuss how we can support your battery compliance journey and help you turn regulatory requirements into competitive advantage.

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Battery compliance from ERP UK - Want to dive deeper into the battery landscape? Find our dedicated battery compliance page here.

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