Recycling service providers believe the battery regulation will accelerate raw material markets and the development of recycling technologies. Producer responsibility often forms the financial basis for battery recycling, as there has not yet been demand for all the chemical substances they contain. Business opportunities in reuse are also of interest.
At the Battery Regulation Seminar, recycling service providers shared their views on how the regulation will affect their operations. The seminar was held in Heureka, Vantaa, in August 2025.
Panel participants agreed on one of the biggest changes the regulation brings to their operations: the battery regulation will change the markets for recycled battery materials.
“The increase in collection rates will bring more recyclables, which means more business for us, which is of course positive,” says Tommi Karjalainen, CEO of AkkuSer Oy.
Markets do not yet function fully competitively – for example, virgin materials are often cheaper – so producer responsibility often provides an important financial basis for recycling.
“Producer responsibility ensures that all material goes to recycling regardless of chemistry; you can’t just pick the raisins out of the cake,” says Joni Korkola, Business Manager at Stena Recycling Oy.
Challenges for recyclers: efficiency and recovery requirements, new chemistries and fractions
The battery regulation gradually increases recycling efficiency and material recovery requirements until 2031, which also poses challenges for recyclers.
The reporting requirements demand more detailed tracking and identification of different battery and device categories. Calculating the required recovery rates requires recyclers to know the composition of incoming batteries more precisely than before.
This is a challenge that the upcoming battery passport, required by the regulation, is expected to partially solve. The battery-specific passport will be attached to the battery at the beginning of its lifecycle and will include information about the battery’s composition.
“Without a battery passport, it is extremely challenging for us to identify the chemistry of certain batteries. As the first recycler, it is our duty to report recovery rates. We send the batteries forward for crushing and rely on the information provided by our partners,” says Ben László, Head of ITAD at Kuusakoski Oy. ITAD refers to the company’s reuse business and recycling and disposal of IT equipment.
Panelists also highlighted that not all batteries yet have recycling solutions.
“Ambitious recycling targets must be met, but for LFP, lithium iron phosphate batteries, we need to find new solutions in Europe,” says Korkola of Stena Recycling Oy.
Lifecycle thinking in the battery regulation benefits recyclers
Panelists pointed out that the regulation’s lifecycle approach is a positive aspect, meaning finding recycling solutions is no longer only the recycler’s responsibility.
“The battery regulation partly guides manufacturers to consider the raw and binding materials they use and the recyclability already in the design phase. Responsibility for recycling extends to manufacturers as well,” says Teija Käpynen, Environmental Manager at Fortum Battery Recycling Oy.
Considering recyclability also benefits the manufacturer, as the regulation sets minimum recycled material content requirements.
“If we don’t recover them, they can’t use them in production either. This is an entire chain, and we all as actors influence it,” she continues.
Potential of reuse and remanufacturing sparks interest
The regulation has sparked interest in business opportunities for reuse and remanufacturing.
“We are very interested in reuse and are actively working on finding various solutions,” says Korkola of Stena Recycling.
However, reuse must be weighed against producer obligations under the battery regulation.
“There is a lot of potential, but it also comes with significant responsibilities and requirements – the same as for the producer,” says Käpynen of Fortum.
Producer organisations are central to recyclers’ business
Battery producer organisations use responsible recycling service providers for the collection, transport, and treatment of used batteries. For service providers, producer organisations are central to their business.
AkkuSer Oy, founded in 2005, offers recycling services to producer organisations. It owns Finland’s only battery sorting and recycling plant for batteries and small batteries, located in Nivala.
“Legislation has been central to our story because not everything is market-driven. In 2006 came the Battery Directive, and in 2008 separate collection began. That provided the foundation for our business,” says CEO Tommi Karjalainen.
AkkuSer receives all separately collected batteries from Recser, sorts, crushes, and sends the fractions or sorted batteries to further processors.
Fortum Battery Recycling Oy, founded in 2005, now has a significant commercial EV battery recycling value chain at the European level.
“We are interested in expanding operations to industrial battery recycling as well,” says Environmental Manager Teija Käpynen.
Central to its operations is its own hydrometallurgical battery material recycling plant in Harjavalta. Additionally, the company has a battery crushing plant in Ikaalinen and a battery pre-processing plant in Kirchardt, Germany, and a crushing plant under development.
“The black mass from the process is further treated in Harjavalta into nickel-cobalt sulfate solution, which is delivered to battery material manufacturers as raw material,” says Käpynen.
Kuusakoski Recycling Oy, founded in 1914, is a family company offering a wide range of recycling services, for example for batteries, electrical and electronic equipment, and recyclable plastics.
“We work with almost all Finnish producer organisations, if not all,” says Head of ITAD Ben László.
In the battery value chain, Kuusakoski acts as the first recycler, sending materials and products forward.
Safety is central to Kuusakoski’s operations, as they handle, store, and export batteries. The company’s new product, a smart battery sensor, warns of battery fire before ignition.
“Current market technologies detect fire after it has started. The smart sensor detects electrolyte gas leakage before the battery starts burning. It monitors local air and sends an alert to any client software, enabling preventive measures,” says László.
Stena Recycling Oy, founded in 2005, operates recycling services in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Italy.
“We work with practically all Finnish producer organisations in some capacity, from paper to tires,” says Key Account Manager Joni Korkola.
The company has its own battery crushing plant in Sweden, where the black mass is sold at the best market price.
“Stena’s role sits between Kuusakoski and Fortum: Stena has the crushing plant that Kuusakoski doesn’t have, but no hydrometallurgy, which Fortum has,” Korkola says with a smile.
Photos: Sus+Com Agency/Antti Partanen
See speakers’ presentations (in Finnish):
Tommi Karjalainen, Akkuser Oy (pdf)
Joni Korkola, Stena Recycling Oy
Ben László, Kuusakoski Oy (pdf)
Teija Käpynen, Fortum Battery Recycling Oy (pdf)
Stay up to date with the progress and content of the Battery Regulation
As the producer organisations, it is important for us to remain up-to-date and share information on how the content of the EU’s Battery Regulation will affect the responsibility of producers of batteries and accumulators in particular.