Centre bans export of Li-ion battery waste, scrap to boost domestic recycling and critical mineral recovery

New Delhi: India has banned the export of lithium-ion battery black mass and related battery waste with immediate effect, a move aimed at building a resilient local ecosystem for battery recycling and refining, as well as improving domestic recovery of critical minerals including lithium.

In a notification issued on Tuesday, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) amended the export policy for “waste and scrap of primary cells, primary batteries and electric accumulators; spent primary cells, spent primary batteries and spent electric accumulators – Unsorted and not containing lead, cadmium or mercury (Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass)” from ‘free’ to ‘prohibited’.