European battery sustainability gets a boost as Munich-based tozero secures €11M to compete with Redwood Materials in lithium recycling.
tozero bags €11M to spearhead Lithium Recycling in Europe:
The German engineering startup tozero has secured €11M in seed funding to launch its lithium-ion battery recycling technology, with backing from NordicNinja. Coming from investors such as Atlantic Labs, Honda, and IQT, the funds will support tozero’s first industrial deployment plant in Asia, which aims to recycle up to 30K tonnes of battery waste by 2026.
The popularity of electric vehicles will drive global lithium demand to increase four-fold by 2030. Europe currently relies on China for 97% of its lithium, but tozero’s technology offers a sustainable solution. The EU Battery Directive requires recycling facilities to show an 80 percent lithium recovery rate by 2031; tozero claims to achieve this by using environmentally sound high-purity recovery solutions.
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tozero has developed a unique technology for recycling batteries with super low emissions which boast 70% less emissions than mines as well as flexible battery recycling. They do not apply high-temperature smelting to recover lithium as other methods do, seeing it yield high-purity lithium output. This innovative approach makes tozero a rival to Nevada-based Redwood Materials, aligning it with the objective and interests of European car manufacturers in search of locally-based sustainable sources for batteries.
Founder and Technological Advantage:
CEO Sarah Fleischer and CTO Dr. Ksenija Milicevic Neumann founded tozero, which processes batteries of all types and sources. Launched only nine months before in Munich by tozero, the pilot facility became the company’s first to deliver the high-purity lithium required by the EU recovery goals and Circular Republic.
The paving the way to more sustainability:
Whenever demand for lithium increases and the thoughts on climate change shift, tozero’s innovative technology is key to Europe’s energy sovereignty. Moreover, being used in automotive and electronic industries, and industries in ceramics and construction, among others, the company’s exponential growth is proof that sustainable battery recycling is possible and already on its way.
