Iveco Group has chosen BASF, the world’s biggest chemical supplier for the automotive industry, as its first partner to provide a recycling solution for the lithium-ion batteries of the Group’s electric vehicles.
This choice is a component of the circular economy strategy implemented by Iveco Group, which uses the 4R Framework (Repair, Refurbish, Repurpose, and Recycling) to extend battery life while reducing environmental impact overall. Additionally, Iveco Group will guarantee adherence to the Extended Producer Responsibility policy, which holds manufacturers accountable for the whole life cycle of the products they introduce onto the market, from design to end-of-life.
The lithium-ion batteries used in Iveco Group electric vans, buses, and trucks will be recycled entirely by BASF, which recently opened Europe’s first co-located center of battery material production and recycling in Schwarzheide, Germany. The deal covers battery collecting, packing, shipping, and recycling across many European nations, including the UK, Germany, and France.
After collection, BASF will mechanically process the batteries to black mass, from which critical raw materials – such as nickel, cobalt, lithium – can be extracted and recovered for use in the manufacturing of new batteries. Thus, BASF will establish the full battery recycling value chain in Europe to locally provide recycled metals with a low carbon footprint for the battery industry.
Angela Qu, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Iveco Group, said, “Lifecycle thinking is one of our strategic sustainability priorities. BASF shares this approach with us, and its broad battery collection network and recycling capabilities in Europe will help us close the loop from end-of-life batteries to new ones. Working together we will enable a circular economy and reduce our CO2 footprint, which is fully in line with the Group’s commitment to reach net zero carbon by 2040.”
Daniel Schonfelder, President of BASF’s Catalysts division, who is also responsible for the company’s battery materials and battery recycling business, said, “The partnership with Iveco Group is our first agreement to recycle batteries from electric vans, buses and trucks and an important step for our battery recycling business to expand our activities into the commercial vehicle space. It will allow us to further strengthen our European collection network and make further progress in this developing market. With our recycling solutions, we aim to support the European market to close the loop and meet the ambitious circular economy-focused policy requirements of the EU Battery Regulation.”