Are the EU battery recycling targets realistic? The European Commission says yes. On 11 September 2026, the Commission published a report assessing the recycling efficiency and material recovery targets set out in Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries.

What does the report say?

The report is based on a technical assessment by the Joint Research Centre (JRC). The Commission concluded that the current targets remain appropriate and can be achieved with available recycling technologies. The next review of the targets is due by 18 August 2031 at the latest.

Recycling efficiency: which thresholds apply?

Recycling efficiency describes the share of the mass of waste batteries that is processed in the recycling process. The regulation sets the following minimum levels:

• by 31 December 2025: 75% for lead-acid batteries, 65% for lithium-based batteries, 80% for nickel-cadmium batteries and 50% for other batteries,
• by 31 December 2030: 80% for lead-acid batteries and 70% for lithium-based batteries.

Material recovery: cobalt, copper, nickel, lead and lithium

The second group consists of recovery targets for specific elements:

• by 31 December 2027: 90% for cobalt, copper, lead and nickel and 50% for lithium,
• by 31 December 2031: 95% for cobalt, copper, lead and nickel and 80% for lithium.

Battery recycling and Europe's raw materials security

The recycling targets are part of a broader EU strategy. Under the RESourceEU plan, the EU aims to reduce its dependence on a single country of origin for raw materials in battery value chains by 30-50% by 2029. Raw materials recovered from waste batteries play an important role in this plan.

For the industry, this means further investment in modern facilities, especially for deep recovery of lithium, nickel and cobalt from black mass. Wastes Service Group specialises in lithium-ion battery recycling and raw material recovery from waste. If your company is looking for a partner to manage waste batteries, contact us.