The International Copper Association (ICA) participated in the 3rd Annual Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Forum in Munich, where industry leaders from across Europe’s electric vehicle ecosystem gathered to discuss the latest developments and innovations in EV battery recycling.
During the event, Diego Garcia Carvajal, ICA Europe’s Manager for Electric Vehicles, presented on the essential role of copper in electric vehicles and the importance of strengthening both primary copper production and recycling efforts across Europe.
His presentation emphasized the need to increase the collection of end-of-life equipment and improve material recovery rates through enhanced product design, advanced sorting technologies, and stronger circular economy practices.
A key takeaway from the discussion highlighted copper’s growing importance in vehicle electrification: on average, the battery of a fully electric passenger car contains nearly half of all the copper used in the vehicle.
As demand for electric vehicles continues to accelerate, advancing efficient recycling systems and resilient copper value chains will remain essential to supporting Europe’s energy transition and circular economy goals.
