Battery technology firm Clarios has announced a ‘significant expansion’ of its European battery recycling footprint with the integration of three facilities in Freiberg and Braubach, in Germany, and Arnoldstein, in Austria.
The Hanover-based firm, which owns the VARTA brand, said that the expansion will enhance its ability to recover and reuse battery materials, and reinforce its commitment to a circular economy, as well as sustainable manufacturing across the EMEA region.
‘A major milestone’
“This expansion marks a major milestone in our European operations,” commented Werner Benade, President EMEA at Clarios.
“It will strengthen our European recycling infrastructure, improves supply chain resilience and supports the delivery of high-quality secondary materials – including those used in our leading VARTA brand – to meet growing demand for advanced low-voltage batteries, support the energy transition in the automotive industry, and reinforce our leadership in the circular economy.“
Critical inputs
The facilities are currently operated by Ecobat, and boast expertise in processing and recovering lead and polypropylene, which are critical inputs when it comes to battery manufacturing.
Among the benefits from the expansion are increased in-house lead recycling, supporting the closed-loop recovery of materials from end-of-life batteries; expanded polypropylene recycling (including Clarios’ first in-house poly compounding capability, aligned with upcoming EU regulations requiring that at least 25% of plastics used in vehicles come from recycled sources); and strengthened supply chain resilience.
The transaction is scheduled to close in early 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Once the facilities are integrated, Clarios will be able to accelerate the delivery of ‘high-quality recycled materials into its product lines, including those under the VARTA brand trusted by millions of drivers across Europe’, it said in a statement.
Clarios boasts around 18,000 employees in more than 100 countries, with its products found in one third of cars on the road today. Read more here.
