Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG with responsibility for Production & Supply Chain Management, welcomed the guests and informed them about the project. Guests also included Horst Krenn (Managing Director of Primobius) and Prof. Hans Ferkel (Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Primobius and CTO of SMS group) as well as Merrill Gray (Head of Recycling) from our JV partner Neometals.

As Horst Krenn, Managing Director of Primobius, says: "The introduction of a circular economy can significantly enhance the CO₂ balance of lithium-ion batteries and shortens the time to achieve the “CO₂ break-even point” of electric vehicles. We are proud to be one of the first to realize a resource-efficient recycling technology in the heart of Europe. The joint project with Mercedes-Benz shows that our two-stage recycling process, and particularly the high recovery rates with hydrometallurgy, already meets the industry's needs today."

The direct integration of hydrometallurgy into the overall concept of a recycling plant is the crucial step in sustainable battery recycling, where the materials obtained can be ideally re-used to produce new cells. Across Europe, Mercedes-Benz will be the first automotive manufacturer to operate its own recycling plant including hydrometallurgical treatment facilities.

Jörg Burzer: "In terms of saving resources, Mercedes-Benz is pursuing a clear goal: as complete a circular economy as possible for all raw materials used. Sustainable battery recycling is a key factor in this. With our new recycling plant in Kuppenheim, we are consistently expanding our own expertise in battery value creation."