The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, implemented the Battery Waste Management Rules in August 2022 to promote environmentally sound management of waste batteries, encompassing electric vehicle, portable, automotive, and industrial battery types. These rules are based on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), assigning annual collection and recycling/refurbishment targets to battery producers and importers based on their market input. Producers must incorporate a minimum percentage of domestically recycled materials in new battery manufacturing from FY 2027-28 onwards.
A centralized online EPR portal facilitates the registration of 3664 producers and 442 recyclers/refurbishers, EPR certificate exchange, and return filings. As of August 2025, producers have procured EPR certificates for 7.29 lakh Metric Tonnes of key battery metals against an EPR target of 10.96 lakh Metric Tonnes. The EPR mechanism recognizes certificates solely from registered recyclers, incentivizing the formalization of the informal sector through EPR certificate trading and recycled material sales.
To support this formalization, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) initiated a project under the Micro Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSECDP) to build capacity and establish recycling clusters within the informal sector. MeitY has also facilitated the transfer of cost-effective Li-ion battery recycling technology, developed by the Centre for Material for Electronics Technology (CMET), to recycling industries and startups under the Mission LiFE "Promote circularity" campaign.
The government approved the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, the National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage, in May 2021, allocating Rs. 18,100 Crore for 50 GWh ACC capacity. This has spurred Indian cell manufacturers to establish cell manufacturing units. Beyond PLI beneficiaries, over 10 companies have announced plans for more than 100 GWh of additional cell manufacturing capacity. Furthermore, on December 10, 2024, MoEFCC facilitated Memorandums of Understanding between CSIR laboratories and recycler organizations to enable technology transfer and technical support for establishing advanced recycling infrastructure, supporting domestic waste recycling, and securing critical mineral supplies through advanced recycling processes.
This information was provided by UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE, SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Key Entities Referenced
Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022: Rules published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India for the environmentally sound management of waste batteries.
Extended Producer Responsibility EPR: A concept where producers of batteries have annual targets for collection, recycling, or refurbishment of waste batteries.
Micro Small Enterprises Cluster Development MSECDP: A scheme of MSME (Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) under which a project on Informal Sector Capacity Building Upgradation with formation of recycling clusters has been initiated by MeitY.
MeitY: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Centre for Material for Electronics Technology CMET: An organization that developed Li-ion battery recycling technology, which was transferred to recycling industries and startups.
Mission LiFE: A campaign under which CMET's recycling technology was transferred to recycling industries and startups to promote circularity.
PLIACC scheme National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell ACC Battery Storage: A government-approved scheme with an outlay of Rs. 18,100 Crore for 50 GWh ACC capacity to promote cell manufacturing in India.
SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH: UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION: CIRCULAR
ECONOMY FOR BATTERIES
Posted On: 21 AUG 2025 5:59PM by PIB Delhi
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India has published the
th
Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 on 24 August, 2022 for environmentally sound management of
waste batteries. These rules cover all types of batteries viz. Electric Vehicle batteries, portable batteries,
automotive batteries and industrial batteries.
The rules are based on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) where the producers, including
importers, of batteries have been given annual targets for collection and recycling or refurbishment of waste
batteries against the batteries placed in the market. The rules mandate producers to use minimum percentage
of domestically recycled materials in manufacturing of new batteries from FY 2027-28 onwards.
Centralized online EPR portal has been developed for registration of producers and recyclers/ refurbishers,
exchange of EPR certificates between producers and recyclers/ refurbishers and filing returns by producers
and recyclers/ refurbishers. So far, 3664 producers and 442 recyclers have been registered under these
rules. Producers have procured EPR certificates of 7.29 lakh Metric Tonnes of key battery metals from
recyclers against the EPR target of 10.96 lakh Metric Tonnes.
EPR mechanism under Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 recognise only EPR certificates generated by
registered recyclers. The EPR mechanism encourages formalisation of informal sector to generate revenues
from exchange of EPR certificates with producers, in addition to the revenue generated from sale of recycled
materials.
To upgrade informal sector into formal value chain, a project on ‘Informal Sector Capacity Building
Upgradation with formation of recycling clusters under the Scheme Micro & Small Enterprises Cluster
Development (MSE-CDP) of MSME’ has been initiated by MeitY.
MeitY has transferred the cost-effective Li-ion battery recycling technology indigenously developed by
Centre for Material for Electronics Technology (C-MET) to several recycling industries and start-ups as part
of Mission LiFE under ‘Promote circularity campaign’.
The Government has approved the PLI-ACC scheme ‘National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell
(ACC) Battery Storage’ in May 2021, with an outlay of Rs. 18,100 Crore for 50 GWh ACC capacity.
This initiative has acted as a catalyst for Indian cell manufacturers to setup a cell manufacturing unit. Apart
from the PLI beneficiaries, more than 10 companies have announced setting up cell manufacturing unit for
more than 100 GWh additional capacity.
Further, MoEF&CC facilitated the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between CSIR laboratories and
th
recycler organisations on 10 December, 2024, to facilitate technology transfer and technical support to
establish state-of-the-art recycling infrastructure, support domestic waste recycling, and secure critical mineral
supplies through advanced recycling processes.
This information was provided by UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE, SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha
today.
*****VM/SK
(Rajya Sabha US Q3262)
(Release ID: 2159301)