IEA and EPO report 42% annual growth in battery circularity patents

International patenting in battery circularity grew by an annual average of 42% between 2017 and 2023, according to Battery Circularity, published by the IEA and European Patent Office on 29 April 2026. The research covers collection, sorting, mechanical processing and metal recovery.

The study combines the EPO’s patent database with IEA analysis to identify locations, applicants and technology categories. Circularity includes reuse in vehicles, repurposing for other applications and recovery of battery materials.

The IEA estimates that around 1.2 million EV batteries could reach end of life in 2030 and 14 million in 2040. The report also compares recycling innovation with refining technologies for primary minerals.