Stuttgart-based car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz opened its first battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim on Monday, October 28, 2024. VDI Director Adrian Willig is calling for more initiatives like this to stay at the forefront of technology.
"The opening of the Mercedes-Benz battery recycling factory is an important milestone for the circular economy in Germany. We need significantly more sustainable and local initiatives like this to ensure that we remain at the forefront of technology in Germany. A material cycle with a high recycling rate for batteries reduces dependence on raw material imports and strengthens security of supply. This has a positive effect on greenhouse gas emissions and takes us a decisive step towards sustainable mobility," said Adrian Willig in the run-up to the opening.
In its 2023 life cycle assessment study, the VDI had already emphasized that e-mobility would only be climate-friendly if the entire battery production and recycling process became 'green'. Recycling would play a central role in this. Now it would be important to scale up to an industrial scale.
