On June 25, the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for a pilot project on the 'Battery Recycled Material Production Certification System' with six waste battery recycling companies and the Korea Environmental Corporation at the President Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. The participating companies include Sabitchem, Seongil Hightech, EcoPro CNG, Orta Materials, POSCO HY Clean Metal, and Korea Electrolyte.
The certification system will officially recognize that materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt extracted from used batteries collected from electric vehicles are derived from recycled waste. The certification will cover eight items, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate, manganese sulfate, graphite, composite metal precipitate, and cathode active materials.
This certification initiative is also seen as a foundation for responding to European Union (EU) battery regulations, which mandate a gradual increase in the use of recycled materials. Establishing a system to objectively verify the source of recycled materials is becoming increasingly important.
The pilot project is designed to ensure the stable establishment of the certification system, which is set to be implemented in May 2027. The government plans to apply certification standards to actual production sites in advance to identify and address potential issues in the operational process.
Since battery materials are produced in powder or liquid form rather than as finished products, the certification system will focus on production processes rather than individual product certifications. This means that the verification will concentrate on the movement of materials and changes in production volume as waste batteries are processed into final battery materials through black mass.
The project aims to establish criteria for calculating the production volume of recycled materials relative to the amount of waste batteries inputted and to create a management system that tracks the entire process until the produced materials are supplied to battery material companies.
Participating companies will provide operational data from securing waste batteries to processing and producing final materials, while the Korea Environmental Corporation will conduct on-site inspections to verify material loss rates and product tracking methods.
During the pilot phase, the government will operate a working-level consultative body with the companies to actively incorporate feedback from the field. Concerns regarding the verification of material mixing during processes and the protection of trade secrets will be addressed in the system's design, and an online management system will be established to streamline the certification application and issuance process.
The Ministry of Climate plans to complete the pilot project by the end of this year and, based on the results, prepare detailed operational guidelines to be finalized and announced in early 2027. The government aims to support recycling companies in obtaining certifications to facilitate domestic and international transactions and comply with overseas environmental regulations.
Kim Han-seung, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Climate, stated, "The Battery Recycled Material Certification System will not only meet international environmental regulations but also enhance our country's circular economy competitiveness. We will establish a certification system that is internationally trusted while reducing the burden on companies."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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