European Critical Raw Materials Act Vote: BATT4EU projects are key to achieve the new targets

07 September 2023

Today the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee has cast its vote on the draft Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). This act , aims to increase EU strategic autonomy by stimulating the domestic production of battery raw materials through raw materials extraction, processing, and recycling in Europe.  

The Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) welcomes the outcomes of this vote as a great opportunity for the battery raw material sector in Europe. The fast tracking of lengthy and costly permitting processes and barriers can encourage more investment in exploiting the raw materials available in Europe. Sustainability and circularity are just as much of a focus, with the agreed recycling targets, the regulation is set to maximize the use of existing raw materials and reduce the need for new materials.

While BATT4EU projects may not target mining directly, they provide support for the raw materials sector by funding research to boost European processing capacity, create a circular value chain, and reducing the amount of critical raw materials needed for batteries. However, more research funding is needed for Horizon Europe battery projects to ensure a competitive European battery value chain.

“We would welcome the inclusion of raw materials projects under the Innovation Fund as proposed by T&E, as it will provide a clear pathway for our Horizon Europe projects on Raw Materials and help them to upscale their research results, which will boost processing capabilities.”- Wouter IJzermans, Executive Director, BEPA

The ongoing BATT4EU projects are contributing to the targets of the CRMA as they cover the raw materials supply chain; from processing to recycling. Among the BATT4EU projects; there are 11; ENICON, LiCORNE, RELiEF, RESPECT, FREE4LIB, RHINOCEROS, GR4FITE3, SOURCE, BatteReverse, REBELION, RECIRCULATE and REINFORCE which aim to bring new and advanced technologies to improve recycling efficiency and processing capabilities.

• ENICON addresses sustainable processing of Europe’s low-grade nickel/cobalt ores into battery-grade metals.
• LiCORNE aims to establish the first-ever Li supply chain in Europe.
• RELIEF focuses on Lithium recycling from secondary raw materials.
• RESPECT works on safe and efficient Li-ion battery recycling
• FREE4LIB aims for critical raw material recovery in a Li-ion battery cross-value chain.
• RHINOCEROS focuses on battery reuse and raw material recycling use eco-friendly tech.
• GRAFITE3 focuses on graphite resilience for lithium-Ion battery anodes through a sustainable European End-to-End supply chain.
• SOURCE creates sustainable routes for synthetic graphite production.
• BatteReverse enhances Li-ion battery reverse logistics for safety and sustainability.
• REBELION focuses on streamlining Lithium-ion battery repurposing and recycling.
• RECIRCULATE involves battery reuse through characterization, smart logistics, automated disassembly, repackaging, and a blockchain-based marketplace.
• REINFORCE aims for standardized, automated, safe, and cost-efficient processing of end-of-life batteries for second and third life reuse and recycling.