Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation participated in ‘Battery Manufacturing and Supply Chain Summit 2024,’ organised by India Battery Manufacturing and Supply Chain Council (IBMSCC). The event focused on battery manufacturing, supply chain, technology, policy, regulations, recycling, circular economy, etc.
Trupti Deshpande, Senior Programme Manager, Shakti, spoke about the need for capacity building, formal and vocational training programs at different levels, and state and national level interventions for battery sustainability in India. A temporal pathway with set milestones and targets at National level, battery tracing, and separation mechanism at the state and city level are a few key interventions that can carve a pathway for EVs to be truly sustainable.
The speakers at the event highlighted the challenges faced by e-waste and lithium battery recycling industries, including low collection, and recycling rates, lack of financing, and gaps in policy, regulation, and implementation strategies. The session also shed light on the importance of R&D and domestic industry support to overcome the prevalent financing and recycling challenges.
Below are a few key recommendations from the panelists:
- Incorporate the informal sector into the formal battery recycling ecosystem through incentives and digital tracking solutions.
- Exchange information with recyclers to improve design frameworks for battery circularity.
- Implement mandatory labelling of battery chemistries to improve segregation and recycling processes.
- Increase consumer awareness on proper disposal of lithium-ion batteries through educational campaigns.
- Implement stringent Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations on lithium-ion batteries at the state level