Li-Cycle and Kion Group form LIB recycling partnership

Li-Cycle Holdings Corp., a Toronto-based lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycler, has signed a definitive agreement for a global LIB recycling partnership with the Kion Group AG, a Frankfurt, Germany-based global provider of industrial trucks and supply chain solutions. Li-Cycle has also announced plans to develop a new LIB recycling facility in France, underpinned by regional commercial demand, including Kion’s LIB recycling needs.

Under the partnership, Li-Cycle will recycle LIBs from Kion’s global brands using its proprietary submerged shredding technology it says is safe, environmentally friendly and cost-effective. The agreement, which is for an initial period until 2030, has designated Li-Cycle as Kion’s preferred global recycling partner to ensure that Kion batteries are recycled sustainably.

RELATED: Li-Cycle reports earnings, Rochester facility updates

“Li-Cycle is excited to be designated as Kion’s preferred global recycling partner, as we continue to grow and diversify our customer portfolio to advance our expansion plans in Europe and help drive a sustainable and localized battery ecosystem,” Li-Cycle co-founder and Executive Chair Tim Johnston says. “Through our partnership, Li-Cycle expects to support both Kion’s recycling needs and Kion’s ability to align with the EU’s battery regulations. Together, we will build a circular battery supply chain and further support the clean energy transition.”

Kion Chief Technology Officer Henry Puhl adds, “With this strategic partnership, we are taking an important step towards the circular economy that we want to implement for our products. The collaboration with Li-Cycle will further strengthen our position in the area of sustainability.”

Kion says it currently has a global fleet of more than 1.7 million industrial trucks, which includes forklift and warehouse trucks, and is the largest industrial truck manufacturer in the EMEA region. Through the partnership, batteries from Kion’s electric industrial trucks will be recycled to support the development of sustainable and localized battery supply chain in Europe.

Li-Cycle says it expects to commence recycling of Kion’s batteries at its spoke in Germany, with startup expected in the middle of this year.

“Li-Cycle’s sustainable spoke and hub process enables up to 95 percent of the mass of a lithium-ion battery to be recovered and the critical minerals contained in those batteries to be used to manufacture new batteries,” says Andreas Krinninger, a member of Kion’s executive board. “This makes us one of the pioneers in the material handling industry in the field of recovery and recycling of lithium-ion batteries.”