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LG Energy Solution and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have announced the formation of a joint venture focused on battery recycling in the United States. The new company, named Green Metals Battery Innovations, LLC, will construct and operate a pre-processing facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, marking a significant step towards creating a sustainable battery supply chain.
Key Highlights
- New Joint Venture: LG Energy Solution and Toyota Tsusho have established Green Metals Battery Innovations, LLC.
- North Carolina Facility: A new battery pre-processing plant will be constructed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and is scheduled to begin operations in 2026.
- Core Function: The plant will dismantle and shred battery scrap to extract black mass, a material rich in valuable metals like nickel, cobalt, and lithium.
- Processing Capacity: The facility aims to achieve an annual processing capacity of 13,500 tons of scrap, which is equivalent to over 40,000 automotive batteries.
- Strategic Goal: The venture intends to establish a battery-to-battery closed-loop system, promoting a circular economy and securing a stable supply of raw materials.
Advancing a Circular Economy
The collaboration between LG Energy Solution and the Toyota Group is designed to significantly lower carbon emissions through circular economy initiatives. The North Carolina facility represents LG Energy Solution’s first battery recycling joint venture in North America and underscores its commitment to developing a competitive recycling infrastructure in the region.
Initially, the plant will process scrap generated during the production of EV batteries by LG Energy Solution for Toyota Motor. The extracted black mass will then undergo a separate post-processing stage to recover the raw materials contained within. The ultimate objective is to circulate these recovered resources back into the manufacturing of new battery materials, creating a true circular economy for the battery supply chain.
Executive Vision for Sustainable Mobility
Leaders from both companies have emphasized the venture’s strategic importance. “This joint venture will not only help secure a stable supply of key battery materials but also enhance the competitiveness of our recycling business in North America,” said Chang Beom Kang, CSO of LG Energy Solution. “We are fully committed to leading the recycling market through innovative and differentiated technologies.”
Masaharu Katayama, COO of Toyota Tsusho, echoed this sentiment. “We are proud to partner with LG Energy Solution to advance the battery recycling infrastructure in North America,” he stated. “This joint venture is a significant step toward realizing a circular economy for batteries, which is essential for building a sustainable mobility society.”
About LG Energy Solution
LG Energy Solution is a premier global manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, IT, mobility, and energy storage systems. With three decades of experience and over 69,600 patents, the company leads in battery-related technology. Through its robust global network, which includes joint ventures with major automakers, LG Energy Solution is committed to building a sustainable battery ecosystem and aims to achieve carbon neutrality across its value chain by 2050.
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