Government Certification of Battery Circular Economy System
Expansion of Production Capacity to 60,000 Tons by 2027
Battery recycling company EcoPro CNG announced on the 28th that it has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Environment to promote a pilot project for certification of recycled raw materials from electric vehicle waste batteries.
The pilot project for recycled raw material certification grants government certification to companies recycling waste batteries. Until now, there has been no official system to certify recycled raw materials produced by companies recycling waste batteries.
Park Seokhoe, CEO of EcoPro CNG, said, "Participation in the government certification project is expected to open the way to export recycled waste batteries overseas," adding, "We will increase battery recycling to prevent indiscriminate natural resource development and take the lead in building an eco-friendly ecosystem by reducing environmental pollution and greenhouse gases." EcoPro CNG extracts valuable metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, which are key raw materials for cathode active materials, from waste batteries received from domestic and international battery manufacturers.
EcoPro CNG will participate in this project until the end of this year. The company stated, "In Europe, legislation is being prepared to mandate the use of recycled raw materials starting in 2031," and added, "Participation in this pilot project for recycled raw material certification has laid the foundation for exporting recycled raw materials." EcoPro CNG is also establishing long-term plans to build overseas production bases in the United States, Europe, and other regions.
The government plans to establish an official certification system to reduce companies' certification costs and management burdens. The system will track the routes through which waste batteries and scrap from domestic and overseas sources move to battery recycling companies such as EcoPro CNG, verify the production volume and sales information of recycled raw materials produced through recycling, and issue certificates accordingly.
Park Seokhoe, CEO of Ecopro CNG (third from the left), is taking a commemorative photo at the Ministry of Environment's electric vehicle used battery recycling material certification pilot project agreement ceremony held on the 26th. Photo by Ecopro CNG
EcoPro CNG began construction of BRP2 (Battery Recycling Plant 2) in the Pohang Blue Valley Industrial Complex in February 2024. It is also reviewing new facility investments in the Yeongilman Industrial Complex in the near future.
Once the expansion investment is completed, the current annual production capacity of 12,000 tons will increase to 61,000 tons by the second half of 2027. Established in August 2020, EcoPro CNG started mass production in 2022 and achieved sales of 100 billion KRW for two consecutive years.
EcoPro CNG is also negotiating to establish overseas production bases to secure recycled raw materials abroad and recycle them locally.
EcoPro CNG is accelerating the establishment of technical standards for recycling safety and processes. Together with the Korea Environment Corporation and the Korea Resource Economics Institute, it is reviewing measures to ensure the safety and environmental soundness of waste battery processing through activities in the public-private integrated circulation system consultative body for waste batteries.
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