As the global transition to clean energy accelerates, the demand for advanced battery technologies is surging at an unprecedented rate. Consequently, a massive wave of end-of-life batteries from electric vehicles (EVs) alone is looming on the horizon, with projected volumes expected to grow from 1.2 million units in 2030 to a staggering 14 million by 2040. To address this impending challenge, a joint technology insight report published by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) reveals a dramatic shift in the global innovation landscape. While Asian markets currently dominate the development of battery circularity technologies—encompassing the collection, sorting, recycling, recovery, and repurposing of used batteries—Europe is also witnessing significant growth in critical niches. Building a robust circular economy is no longer just an environmental goal; it is a strategic imperative to secure industrial competitiveness and technological sovereignty.
The 2017 Turning Point and Explosive Market Growth
The comprehensive EPO-IEA report draws upon two decades of global patent data, examining patenting activity across 24 specific technologies. The analysis is based on approximately 16,000 individual inventions and nearly 4,000 international patent families (IPFs).
According to the data, patenting related to battery circularity began to surge dramatically in 2017—the precise year that global sales of electric cars broke the one-million barrier for the first time in history. Since that critical turning point, IPFs related to battery circularity have grown at a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42 percent. This significantly outpaces the 16 percent growth rate observed for rechargeable battery manufacturing overall, and completely dwarfs the modest 2 percent average growth rate seen across all global technology fields combined.
This explosive surge in innovation perfectly mirrors the massive expansion of global battery demand. The market has recently expanded more than fivefold, jumping from approximately 180 GWh in 2020 to 1,100 GWh in 2024. Furthermore, industry projections indicate this capacity will reach an immense 3,500 GWh by the year 2030.
Asian Dominance Across the Recycling Value Chain
In the global race for battery circularity, Asian firms have firmly established a commanding lead. In 2023, companies based in Asia accounted for 63 percent of all battery circularity IPFs. The leading innovator is now Brunp, the dedicated recycling subsidiary of the world’s largest battery manufacturer, CATL. Brunp has successfully overtaken earlier industry pioneers such as Toyota, LG, and Sumitomo.
The report also highlights varying regional specializations. Globally, automotive companies generally tend to focus their patents on the collection of used batteries, while traditional mining firms specialize in chemical transformation and metal recovery. However, China’s Brunp and South Korea’s LG stand out uniquely for their broad activity across all areas of the value chain.
China’s rapid ascent is particularly notable. Between 2013 and 2023, China’s share of IPFs in battery circularity skyrocketed from 5 percent to 29 percent. A similar consolidation of power is evident in the crucial sector of battery metal refining. China’s national patent filings in this highly specialized area have risen from roughly 10 percent of all global filings in the early 2000s to about 70 percent in the five years leading up to 2023. Additionally, since 2020, China’s share of IPFs in battery metal refining has matched that of the United States. During this same decade, Japanese and Korean players sustained significant IPF shares, while Europe’s overall share slipped slightly from 22 percent to 21 percent. Contributions from Australia, Canada, and the United States remain comparatively limited.
Europe’s Strategic Focus: Collection and Chemical Transformation
Despite the slight decline in overall market share, European innovators continue to demonstrate significant growth and specialized expertise, particularly in the most patent-active segments of the value chain: the collection of used batteries and the recovery of metals via chemical transformation.
European applicants have carved out strong technical niches, focusing heavily on remote handling technologies (accounting for 34 percent of IPFs), isolation and immobilisation processes (30 percent), and hydrometallurgical extraction following pyrolytic pre-treatment (26 percent). This specific technological focus reflects Europe’s urgent need and growing potential to manage rapidly expanding volumes of regional battery waste.
Major European industrial players are aggressively pursuing technologies for transforming recycled materials directly into new battery components. Leading the charge are entities such as Umicore, which holds the title of Europe’s largest battery recycler, the multinational chemical giant BASF, and prominent public research organizations like the CEA, one of France’s top energy sector patent applicants.
Scaling Innovation and Policy Frameworks
As EPO President António Campinos stated regarding the findings: “Innovation in battery circularity technologies is key to securing resources, strengthening competitiveness and reducing environmental impact.” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol echoed this sentiment, noting that accelerating recycling and reuse innovation can significantly ease the immense pressure on critical mineral supply chains while creating entirely new economic opportunities.
For Europe to fully leverage its existing strengths, scaling up these innovations remains absolutely essential. The industry must aggressively reduce recycling costs, improve overall efficiency, and overcome persistent operational challenges such as highly fragmented waste streams, heterogeneous battery pack designs, and limited facility automation.
To support this industrial scaling, an increasingly coherent policy framework is actively being deployed across the continent. Recent strategic initiatives—including the Industrial Accelerator Act, the RESourceEU Action Plan, the Battery Booster Facility, and the comprehensive Batteries Regulation of 2023—are specifically designed to strengthen domestic industrial capacity, support local manufacturing, and build fully integrated circular value chains.
Enhanced Analytical Tools for the Innovation Ecosystem
To assist stakeholders in navigating this rapidly evolving sector, the EPO has significantly updated its technology platforms. The EPO’s clean energy platform has been enriched to include a dedicated section for battery circularity technologies, providing researchers with 24 new searchable technology areas.
Furthermore, the free Deep Tech Finder tool—which uniquely blends patent information with business intelligence—has been updated. It now features the profiles of nearly 60 European startups and universities that have actively sought patent protection for battery recycling inventions since 2006. Finally, the EPO Observatory’s Data Desk has launched a beta release featuring a detailed cartography of energy storage technologies, enabling policymakers and investors to transform raw patent data into highly actionable intelligence.
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European Patent Office (EPO): Inventions for battery reuse and recycling increase more than seven-fold in last decade