Morrow Batteries, a key player in the battery industry, is teaming up with Stena Recycling to tackle the growing issue of battery production waste. The two companies have joined forces with the goal of establishing a fully circular battery value chain, where recycled materials are reintegrated into battery cell production.
The collaboration will kick off with Morrow’s battery factory in Arendal, Norway, which is set to start test production later this year. Stena Recycling will play a pivotal role by receiving and processing scrap from the production process at its facility in Halmstad, Sweden. This partnership is expected to span 1.5 years, during which Stena Recycling will manage Morrow’s production scrap from the Morrow Cell Factory.
As part of the agreement, Stena Recycling will collect, store, and process the production waste. The company will also train Morrow Cell Factory staff in relevant processes and transport the waste to its new battery recycling facility in southern Sweden. This facility, touted as one of the first battery recycling plants on an industrial scale in Europe, utilizes an advanced recycling process that promises to recover battery materials with very high recycling rates, although the exact rate remains unspecified due to potential variations between battery materials.
Stina Torjesen, Sustainability Director at Morrow, expressed optimism about the collaboration, stating, “We hope â and expect â this to be the first steppingstone in a joint wider effort to enable agile and circular battery value chains.” Lars Christian Bacher, CEO of Morrow, highlighted the company’s commitment to minimizing waste, stating, “Morrow aims for low scrap rates and stable, high-quality production delivered by our skilled machine operators and manufacturing engineers.”
Marcus Martinsson, Product Area Manager Batteries at Stena Recycling Group, emphasized the shared commitment to sustainability, saying, “Morrow is focused on efficiency, sustainability, and environmental impact. To consume fewer resources in the form of energy and raw materials is their goal, as well as ours.” He added, “Together we look forward to a new circular partnership and a holistic solution to increase resource efficiency and minimize emissions.”
The cooperation between Morrow Batteries and Stena Recycling marks a significant step towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to battery production and recycling.