Asensio: “Circular economy in the battery industry is not an option, but a strategic necessity for the sustainability and industrial autonomy of Gipuzkoa”

Naturklima hosts an international meeting that brings together top-level experts to analyze the challenges and opportunities of the circular economy in the battery sector, a key area for the energy transition.

The Department of Sustainability of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, CIDETEC Energy Storage, and the Gipuzkoa Climate Change Foundation, Naturklima, held the International Workshop today in Donostia: The Circular Economy in the Battery Industry: Challenges and Opportunities. This forum, which included international experts, addressed strategic issues such as digitalization, traceability, reuse, and smart battery recycling—key elements for advancing toward a more sustainable energy model.

The event, held throughout the morning at the Naturklima headquarters, provided a platform to share the latest technological innovations and business models aimed at building a circular value chain around batteries—crucial for the development of sustainable mobility and renewable energy storage.

The Deputy for Sustainability and President of Naturklima, José Ignacio Asensio, opened the event by stressing that “we are at a moment of profound transformation, where decarbonization, the climate emergency, and competition for critical raw materials compel us to act decisively. The circular economy in the battery industry is not an option, but a strategic necessity to preserve resources, reduce waste, and strengthen our industrial and energy autonomy.” Asensio highlighted the role of the new battery recycling laboratory at Naturklima, developed in collaboration with CIDETEC Energy Storage: “A cutting-edge infrastructure in Europe that will place Gipuzkoa at the forefront of the circular economy, generating industrial opportunities, green jobs, and knowledge.”

CIDETEC Energy Storage, a battery value chain development expert with more than 28 years of experience, will contribute its knowledge to lay the foundations and position the region as a benchmark in battery circularity. Oscar Miguel, Deputy Director of the center, emphasized that “public-private collaboration will allow Gipuzkoa to establish a unique laboratory, developing new infrastructure and creating new opportunities for local companies.”

The workshop program included presentations from leading companies and organizations in the sector such as Circunomics, which presented an innovative digital marketplace for battery second life and recycling; Metso, with its solution for black mass recycling; TES AMM, working with closed-loop recycling models; FEV Consulting, which shared insights on the second life of batteries in sustainable mobility; and CIDETEC Energy Storage, which provided an analysis of the circular battery value chain in Spain.

The event concluded with a roundtable focused on challenges and opportunities for battery circularity in Europe and a networking lunch among participants.

ZIRKULAR BAT and Gipuzkoa’s Commitment to the Circular Economy
The workshop is part of the promotion of the ZIRKULAR BAT project, an innovative ecosystem led by CIDETEC and Naturklima to create a circular industrial community around batteries in Gipuzkoa. This project includes the launch of a smart recycling laboratory to research and develop new technologies for recovering critical materials—such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel—thereby contributing to decarbonization, reducing dependence on external raw materials, and generating a new strategic sector for Gipuzkoa’s economy.

In this regard, the Deputy for Sustainability, José Ignacio Asensio, noted: “Territories capable of integrating the circular economy into their public policies and business strategies will lead the new productive model that is already underway. Gipuzkoa wants to be one of those territories and is working together with companies, technology centers, startups, and the entire industrial ecosystem to achieve it.”