Recycling batteries helps to conserve valuable raw materials. This is good for the economy and a country’s strategic position. However, the Dutch system for this does not function as effectively as it could.

To make battery recycling in the Netherlands a success, a systemic change is needed. This is the conclusion reached by the TNO research organisation in its report Towards battery recycling in the Netherlands , published in July. Whilst the collection and pre-treatment of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are well organised in the Netherlands, there is a lack of sufficient facilities for the next step: recovering materials from the ground-up battery contents (black mass). Consequently, much of this ‘black mass’ is exported abroad for further processing, and valuable materials are lost to the Netherlands. This weakens both the economy and our country’s strategic position.

Depending on

Li-ion batteries, such as those found in many electric cars and bicycles, contain critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. If enough batteries are recycled in the Netherlands, this will reduce the country’s reliance on other nations for these raw materials. TNO concludes that there are various interrelated reasons why this is happening only on a limited scale. For example, both the demand for and the supply of recycled batteries are low – these are factors that reinforce each other – and investing in recycling is therefore not yet profitable.

Supply and demand

Not enough batteries are being collected to supply refineries with black mass, TNO writes in a press release following the report. An industrial refining plant requires around 10,000 tonnes of black mass per year. In 2025, approximately 430 tonnes of batteries from electric vehicles were collected via Auto Recycling Nederland (ARN), and according to the OPEN Foundation, which is responsible for collecting other battery streams, the yield from e-bikes in 2024 was around 400 tonnes.

‘We’ve got the collection process well under way, but there simply aren’t enough batteries being discarded yet,’ says Emma Folkertsma, project manager for energy and materials transition at TNO. ‘It is expected that by 2030 there will be enough end-of-life batteries in the Netherlands each year to feed an industrial recycling plant.’

At the same time, domestic demand for recycled materials remains limited, as the Netherlands itself produces hardly any batteries. To break this deadlock, the Netherlands will need to strengthen cooperation with neighbouring countries and put the necessary (financial) framework in place to make investments in recycling profitable. New European Union regulations could also help, such as the requirement for new batteries to contain a certain percentage of recycled material, and the ban on the export of black mass outside the EU.

Rotterdam-based recycler

Since November 2024, end-of-life high-voltage batteries from BMW electric cars have been sorted into copper, aluminium, plastics and ‘black mass’ at Europoort in Rotterdam. To this end, the BMW Group has entered into a partnership with battery recycling firm SK tes. In March 2025, De Ingenieur paid a visit to the site.

Practical objections

But there are further challenges facing the recycling industry in the Netherlands, such as high energy costs and problems with grid congestion. Recycling batteries consumes a great deal of energy: refining ten thousand tonnes of black mass requires 50 to 55 gigawatt-hours. ‘That is according to the current industrial standard,’ says Folkertsma. ‘A great deal of effort is being put into developing technologies that consume less energy.’ In addition, current technologies require large amounts of water and chemicals, and produce significant amounts of waste and emissions.

The slow licensing process in the Netherlands does nothing to encourage investors either. It usually takes between two and five years from the time an application is submitted to the granting of a licence. This creates uncertainty for investors.

Solution

If the Netherlands wishes to become a major player in battery recycling, it will therefore need to work towards increasing the availability of raw material streams, speeding up licensing procedures and creating more stable market conditions. Folkertsma: ‘And the development of more energy-efficient and sustainable recycling technologies is also a potential key to success.’

Opening image: Depositphotos