NavPrakriti Targets Nationwide Battery Recycling Network as India’s EPR Rules Tighten

NavPrakriti, a Kolkata-based lithium-ion battery recycler, plans to sign partnerships with more than 150 battery makers and original equipment manufacturers over the next three years, a move the company says will expand formal battery collection and recycling capacity at a time when India’s energy transition is accelerating, according to company reporting.

The announcement comes as India faces a sharp rise in battery waste driven by electric vehicles, renewable power storage and consumer electronics. Analysts say the scale of upcoming battery retirements is beginning to test the country’s fragmented recycling infrastructure, increasing pressure on producers to comply with Extended Producer Responsibility obligations introduced in recent years.

Industry projections show India’s lithium-ion battery demand rising from about 4 gigawatt-hours in 2023 to nearly 140 GWh by 2035, reflecting rapid growth in EV adoption and grid-scale battery energy storage systems used to stabilize renewable power. Data published by government agencies indicate that lithium-ion batteries accounted for roughly 700,000 metric tons of India’s estimated 1.6 million metric tons of electronic waste in 2022. Despite India ranking among the world’s largest e-waste generators, official figures show that less than half of this waste is processed through authorized recycling channels.

To address the gap, New Delhi rolled out the Battery Waste Management Rules in 2022, placing EPR at the center of battery end-of-life policy. The rules require producers to finance the collection and recycling of spent batteries through licensed recyclers, with compliance monitored via a national digital portal operated by the Central Pollution Control Board. The system tracks material flows, allocates EPR credits and sets minimum compensation levels for recyclers, a mechanism industry groups argue is essential to attract private investment into capital-intensive recycling plants.

NavPrakriti says its partnership strategy is designed to help manufacturers meet those requirements while building a multi-regional collection network. The company recently commissioned what it describes as eastern India’s first advanced lithium-ion battery recycling facility, with current capacity of about 1,000 metric tons per month and room for expansion as feedstock volumes increase.

Company founder Akhilesh Bagaria said the approach is meant to integrate waste management with raw material recovery. Observers note that India currently depends heavily on imports for battery-grade lithium, cobalt and nickel, exposing cell makers to global price volatility. Recycling advocates argue that recovering metals from domestic battery waste could partially offset those risks while reducing environmental impacts associated with mining.

NavPrakriti’s plant focuses on recovering aluminum and copper, along with intermediate materials containing nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium. The company is preparing to add hydrometallurgical refining and battery refurbishment lines, enabling second-life use of retired batteries in stationary storage applications. Similar models have gained traction in China and parts of Europe, where repurposed batteries are increasingly used for backup power and small-scale grid support.

The strategy also aligns with India’s National Critical Mineral Mission, which frames recycling as a complementary source of strategic materials. With stricter hazardous waste enforcement and expanded EPR audits expected from 2026, compliance costs are likely to rise for battery producers. Analysts say this could accelerate consolidation around recyclers capable of offering traceability, reporting and large-scale processing.

Market participants expect formal recycling capacity to grow rapidly but warn that informal dismantling still dominates many regions. Whether partnerships such as NavPrakriti’s can shift volumes into regulated channels may determine how effectively India closes the loop on its fast-growing battery economy.

Source: NavPrakriti

SUNSHINE Spotlight: NavPrakriti’s planned partnerships signal how tighter EPR rules are pushing battery recycling from a niche activity into a core pillar of India’s clean energy supply chain.