In August, USA-headquartered company Ecobat – a global leader in battery recycling – announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to sell its battery recycling and specialty lead operations in Germany and Austria to Clarios, a global leader in advanced energy storage solutions. The transaction would include Ecobat’s facilities in Freiberg and Braubach (Germany) as well as the Arnoldstein operation in Austria.
“We are pleased to announce the sale of our German and Austrian operations,” Tom Slabe, President and CEO of Ecobat, was cited. “Upon completion, this transaction – along with the previously announced divestitures of France, Italy, and Battery Distribution – will enable Ecobat to concentrate its efforts on core recycling operations, as well as our global lithium-ion battery business. Ecobat will continue to pursue additional opportunities to maximize value for shareholders beyond these transactions.” The transaction is expected to close by early 2026, pending regulatory approvals, the company said.
In July, Ecobat had reported the completion of the sale of its battery and polypropylene recycling business in Italy to Haiki + S.p.A. The transaction included the company’s facilities in Marcianise, Paderno Dugnano, and Bologna, and indicated Ecobat’s exit from the Italian market. According to Tom Slabe, this sale would mark “yet another step forward in our strategic efforts to optimize Ecobat’s geographic footprint”.
One month earlier, in June, the internationally active battery recycler announced the sale of its European battery distribution business to Endless LLP, a UK-based private equity firm. “We are pleased to announce the completion of the European battery distribution sale to Endless,” Tom Slabe explained. “This transaction marks another step in our strategy to divest non-core assets and sharpen our focus on our core mission of sustainable battery recycling.”
Ecobat Resources France is also no longer owned by Ecobat. In May, the company announced that it had received a binding offer from Campine NV to acquire its battery recycling and specialty lead manufacturing operations in France, and on this basis, it agreed to grant exclusivity to Campine NV. The transaction included Ecobat’s facilities in Estrée-Saint-Denis, Bazoches, and Pont-Sainte-Maxence, which would mark Ecobat’s exit from the French market, except for its lithium-ion battery collection business.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2025, Page 20)
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