LG Energy Solution building sustainable future through battery recycling and reuse

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LG Energy Solution building sustainable future through battery recycling and reuse

Published: 29 Oct. 2025, 18:08

LG Energy Solution researchers display cathode active materials produced through the direct recycling of waste electrodes. [LG ENERGY SOLUTION]

LG Energy Solution is focusing on expanding the battery recycling and reuse market to build a sustainable future. By establishing a closed-loop system that covers the entire battery lifecycle — from raw material production to consumption and disposal — the company aims not only to promote resource circulation but also to pursue future growth through new business initiatives.

In June, LG Energy Solution partnered with Toyota Tsusho, a Japanese trading company under the Toyota Group, to establish a joint recycling venture, Green Metals Battery Innovations (GMBI), in North Carolina in the United States. The facility will have an annual processing capacity of 13,500 tons, able to handle used batteries and scrap from more than 40,000 electric vehicles each year.

The new joint venture is a preprocessing facility specializing in the safe disassembly and compacting of used batteries and the scrap generated during battery manufacturing — producing what is known as black mass. The black mass is then refined through post-processing into key minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, which are recycled back into battery production.

LG Energy Solution is achieving meaningful results in the reuse of electric vehicle batteries. The process involves recovering used batteries, performing initial diagnostics and selecting those suitable for reuse. After a thorough condition assessment, the selected batteries are used for commercial applications.

The company has built and is operating a Reuse Energy Storage System (ESS) for EV charging at Ochang Energy Plant 1. The ESS system is constructed using batteries removed from electric taxis that have traveled over 100,000 kilometers (62,137 miles). It can fully charge a GM Bolt, a pure electric vehicle, in about 1 hour using a 100-kilowatt charger, with the vehicle being able to then travel approximately 300 kilometers.

In addition, the company is accumulating expertise in battery reuse through various trials and improvements, including the North America Reuse ESS business and the development of Reuse ESS systems for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and backup power applications.

LG Energy Solution is striving to achieve zero waste to landfill at all of its business sites. The Nanjing plant in China has been certified by the global certification body UL Solutions and awarded the highest “Platinum” grade for achieving a 100 percent resource circulation rate. In Korea, Ochang Energy Plant 1 has received a “Gold” grade for a resource circulation rate of over 90 percent.

In addition, the U.S. business site has been certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) for having a landfill waste rate of less than 1 percent and has received the Landfill Zero certification.

An LG Energy Solution official said, “We are committed to establishing a battery resource positive circulation system and to leading the way in creating customer value and a sustainable future.”

BY JANG HAYOON [[email protected]]

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