Lithium batteries: Eco-responsibility or a disguised eco-tax?

Managing lithium batteries is a major challenge, at the crossroads of economics and the environment. While theory points to a virtuous ecosystem, operational reality reveals a wide gap between promises and actual recycling and reuse practices.

Since August 2025, an eco-tax has been imposed on companies to finance battery recycling. However, a major inconsistency persists: recycling organizations talk about recycling in the present tense, but reuse is always discussed in the future tense. This dichotomy raises questions about the real effectiveness of the system.

We will examine existing problems and propose concrete solutions for more responsible management.

Talking about “materials recovery” is often wishful thinking. The economic and environmental reality behind the concept is complex and often counterproductive.

To recover materials, they must first be transported to recycling centers. Our calculations show that the cost of transport is often equivalent to, or even higher than, the value of the materials recovered. If we stopped there, the situation would already be worrying. But this is only the beginning.

The separation of materials requires a very energy-intensive method: pyrotechnics, which uses intense heat and, consequently, a lot of gas. The cost of this operation and the pollution it generates seriously call into question the environmental relevance of this method.

It’s tempting to blame Europe, but the question of how the taxes collected are used remains without a clear answer. Once the materials have been collected and separated, where do they go? In all likelihood, they end up being exported to other European countries, sometimes with the help of subsidies. This practice is far from virtuous in environmental terms, not least because of the carbon emissions linked to transport.

The current system is incoherent on several levels. It’s hard to understand the point of promoting materials recovery when supply chain costs are so high. Similarly, transparency on reuse is almost non-existent, and the fact that separated materials are exported speaks volumes about the inefficiency of the regulations in place. Haven’t regulations and eco-taxes become counter-productive?

Eco-accredited organizations are responsible for battery collection. However, to carry out this activity, they have to become eco-subscribers to a system that has its flaws, and even abuses.

Faced with the inefficiency of the system, a parallel market has developed. Like the carbon tax, some players have found a way to generate profits without any real ecological commitment. Batteries are bought up cheaply by one company, resold at a higher price to another, and so on. At the end of this speculative chain, batteries often end up being exported to countries like Romania or Poland, far from any eco-responsible logic.

These organizations, authorized to collect batteries, have a direct interest in turning a blind eye to the system’s malfunctions, and even in presenting them in an advantageous light. This enables them to collect theecotax, while reselling the batteries collected to other companies. The latter can in turn resell them, thus avoiding the costs of recycling. This system raises the question of its effectiveness and real ecological usefulness.

It is possible to take concrete action and break out of this vicious circle. Genuine eco-responsible approaches make it possible to do away with these excesses and really make the most of batteries.

By integrating battery management directly into your business, you can :

• Reduce administrative costs and eco-taxes.
• Reuse batteries by simply reconditioning them for a second market.

Adopting such an approach requires new skills, but it will enable you to actively contribute to a circular economy, without having to suffer the inconsistencies of the current system.

If you’d like to discuss this in more detail and explore how to implement our solutions to make you profitable, please get in touch.