South Korea’s LG Energy Solution (LGES) and Japan’s Toyota Tsusho have launched a joint venture to bolster battery recycling infrastructure in the United States, as global automakers work to secure localized, circular supply chains for electric vehicles.
The venture, named Green Metals Battery Innovations, will establish its first facility in North Carolina. Scheduled to begin operations in 2026, the plant will have the capacity to process up to 13,500 tons of battery scrap annually—equivalent to over 40,000 EV battery packs—by recovering black mass, a material rich in valuable elements such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
“This joint venture will not only help secure a stable supply of key battery materials but also enhance the competitiveness of our recycling business in North America,” said Chang Beom Kang, Chief Strategy Officer at LG Energy Solution. “We are fully committed to leading the recycling market through innovative and differentiated technologies.”
Initially, the plant will handle battery scrap generated during EV battery production for Toyota Motor in North America. The recovered black mass will later be sent for post-processing to extract raw materials that could be reused for new battery manufacturing, supporting a closed-loop battery ecosystem.
Battery recycling has become a strategic priority for automakers and suppliers as pressure grows to localize supply chains and reduce dependence on overseas processing—particularly from China, which dominates global battery material refinement. The U.S. government and industry stakeholders have increasingly emphasized regional self-sufficiency for both environmental and national security reasons.
Toyota has ramped up its battery recycling efforts in recent years, including partnerships with U.S.-based Cirba Solutions and Redwood Materials. Meanwhile, LGES will also begin supplying Toyota with 20 GWh of battery modules annually starting in 2025, in addition to Toyota’s own in-house battery production ramp-up in the United States.