On November 11, the International Summit on Recycling of Batteries, Automotive and Electronics (WRF Asia 2025), hosted by ICM AG, was held in Shanghai. The summit brought together more than 260 experts, scholars, and industry representatives from 25 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Germany, and Japan, to engage in in-depth discussions on cutting-edge technologies, development trends, and value chain collaboration in the recycling of batteries, automotive, and electronic waste. Bao Wei, Executive Vice President of Huayou Recycling, was invited to deliver a keynote speech, sharing the company’s practices and insights in developing integrated global solutions for lithium-ion battery recycling.
In recent years, with the rapid growth of the new energy industry, the volume of end-of-life power batteries has continued to rise. Major economies, including the European Union, the United States, and China, have successively introduced policies to strengthen the development and regulation of battery recycling systems.
In his speech, Bao Wei emphasized that, in the face of resource supply-demand imbalances and increasing environmental governance requirements, establishing a green, safe, efficient, and traceable recycling system has become a global consensus across the industry value chain. Governments and enterprises worldwide are accelerating efforts to build closed-loop industrial systems to reduce dependence on primary mineral resources and enhance the self-sufficiency of critical metals.
In response, Huayou Recycling has leveraged its integrated industrial chain to establish a full lifecycle green value chain for end-of-life power batteries, covering recycling networks, precise disassembling, pre-treatment, hydrometallurgy, and direct-recycling. To address industry challenges such as the disassembling of CTP (Cell-to-Pack) battery packs, the company has actively collaborated with Fraunhofer IPA to develop advanced disassembling solutions that are green, safe, and efficient. At the same time, in response to tightening domestic policies on second-life applications, Huayou Recycling has partnered with leading international automakers such as BMW Group, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz to explore integrated battery energy storage application scenarios.
Huayou Recycling is also accelerating the implementation of its “two-step” development strategy. First, targeting overseas clients and Chinese enterprises expanding abroad, the company is building a global closed-loop model of “localized pre-treatment + hydrometallurgy processing in Indonesia and China.” Building on this foundation, Huayou aims to progressively establish regionally independent closed-loop systems from “waste to materials.” To date, the company has established a comprehensive recycling network across key regions in China, including East China, Southwest China, and Northeast China, while also developing regional recycling and processing networks across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America. Through the creation of an “international recycling service ecosystem,” Huayou Recycling is committed to providing global customers with closed-loop recycling solutions that align with local regulatory requirements and economic conditions.
As the new energy industry enters a critical stage of development, battery recycling is no longer merely an environmental issue but also a matter of global industrial security and resource strategy. Looking ahead, circular systems driven by standardization, scale, and sustainability will become a key pillar of the global new energy industry. Only through continuous innovation and open collaboration can industry players unlock greater value in the transition toward a green and low-carbon future.
