Europe’s battery-recycling sector is shifting from environmental positioning toward a structured industrial supply strategy. Policy targets under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act aim for 25% of annual EU strategic raw-material demand to come from recycling by 2030, elevating black mass into a key input for battery-metal production.
Black mass, generated from shredded end-of-life batteries and production scrap, contains lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper and other battery-relevant metals, positioning it as a secondary but increasingly important feedstock for the critical-minerals supply chain.
Fortum Expands Hydrometallurgical Recycling Capacity in Finland
Fortum Battery Recycling operates one of Europe’s largest dedicated facilities at Harjavalta in Finland, which the company describes as a closed-loop hydrometallurgical plant. The site has a current processing capacity of around 3,000 tonnes of black mass per year.
Fortum’s Next Hydromet project at Harjavalta is intended to demonstrate an upgraded hydrometallurgical process designed to reduce chemical waste and improve material recovery efficiency. The company’s model separates mechanical pre-processing from chemical refining, where black mass is converted into battery-suitable material streams for re-entry into supply chains.
Umicore and Industrial-Scale Metallurgical Recovery
Belgium-based Umicore continues to operate as a major established recycler in Europe through its Battery Recycling Solutions business. The company reports capability to recover lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper in forms suitable for battery production.
In its 2026 update, Umicore stated that its recycling operations were progressing according to plan, reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s long-standing metallurgical processors of complex battery waste streams.
UK and US Recycling Expansion Linked to European Supply Chains
In the United Kingdom, Altilium secured £18.5 million in April 2026 to expand EV battery recycling capacity and develop the country’s first commercial facility focused on recovering critical minerals from battery waste. Reuters reported earlier that Japanese trading company Marubeni has invested in Altilium to support the development of a UK-based battery recycling supply chain.
In the United States, Nth Cycle is preparing expansion into Europe through a planned facility in the Netherlands by 2028. The company has signed a 10-year, US$1.1 billion offtake agreement with Trafigura covering nickel and lithium carbonate derived from black mass processing. The Netherlands project is supported by a €7.5 million grant under the CRM Lion initiative, reflecting European policy support for scaling recycling capacity within the region.
Glencore Integration Adds Trading and Processing Scale
Switzerland-based Glencore expanded its position in the recycling sector following the acquisition of Li-Cycle in August 2025, with operations expected to continue under Glencore Battery Recycling.
The integration adds trading, logistics and metal marketing capacity to recycling operations, reinforcing the importance of financial strength and global distribution networks in scaling battery-material recovery.
Feedstock Security and Refining Capability Define Market Position
Across Europe’s recycling sector, the central challenge is not the presence of valuable metals in black mass, but the ability to consistently secure feedstock, manage impurities, operate hydrometallurgical refining systems, obtain permits and qualify output for battery customers.
Companies including Fortum, Umicore, Altilium, Nth Cycle and Glencore illustrate different approaches across this emerging supply chain, ranging from integrated hydrometallurgical processing to trading-backed recycling platforms. Black mass is increasingly treated as a strategic industrial feedstock, but its conversion into reliable battery-grade materials depends on scalable refining systems capable of handling variable waste inputs.
