SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) | Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) | Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on December 18, 2025, provided information on its efforts to establish a robust Circular Economy for Batteries, driven by the mandatory Battery Waste Management Rules (BWMR), 2022 and recent 2025 amendments. These rules apply to all battery types—Electric Vehicle (EV), portable, automotive, and industrial—mandating that producers and importers meet annual targets for collection and recycling through an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework. Since the notification of these rules, approximately 58.26 lakh tonnes of battery waste has been recycled.
Key strategic components of the battery circularity framework include:
EPR Digital Ecosystem: A centralized online portal facilitates the registration of 4,022 producers and 487 recyclers, enabling the transparent exchange of EPR certificates.
Mandatory Recycled Content: Starting from FY 2027-28, producers are required to use a minimum percentage of domestically recycled materials in the manufacturing of new batteries.
Recovery Targets: The rules set ambitious material recovery targets: 70% by 2024-25, increasing to 90% from 2026-27 onwards.
Critical Mineral Extraction: The National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM) and a ₹1,500 crore incentive scheme support the extraction of essential metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel from “black mass” to ensure supply chain resilience.
Traceability Standards: The 2025 amendments mandate the use of QR codes or barcodes on all batteries and equipment to improve lifecycle tracking and transparency.
What is the role of “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) in a circular economy? Extended Producer Responsibility is a policy approach where producers are held physically and financially responsible for the entire lifecycle of a product, particularly at the post-consumer stage. In the battery sector, this incentivizes manufacturers to design for recyclability and establish efficient collection networks, ensuring that hazardous materials are diverted from landfills and valuable minerals are reintegrated into the production cycle.
Policy Relevance
The circular battery economy is central to India’s Mission LiFE and its transition to a green economy. By 2030, domestic recycling is projected to meet up to 80% of India’s demand for critical minerals like lithium and cobalt, potentially saving the country $2 billion annually in imports. Furthermore, the integration of the informal sector into the formal value chain through MeitY’s capacity-building projects ensures that “urban mining” becomes a driver for both environmental sustainability and job creation.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can the government incentivize the “second-life” repurposing of EV batteries for stationary energy storage before they reach the final recycling stage?
Follow the full news here: India’s Circular Economy For Batteries