The supplier landscape in Germany and Austria is being rewired around recycling plants and secondary‑material platforms — not only because of green policy but because raw‑material security is now a commercial imperative for parts makers, dealers and fleets. New permits, pilot plants and multi‑million‑euro investments announced in 2026 increase local capacity for batteries and critical metals and shift logistics, labour and contract patterns across the two countries.
Battery recycling: bigger plants, earlier start dates
Fortum Battery Recycling secured an expanded environmental permit in February 2026 that allows its Kirchardt (Baden‑Württemberg) site to process 25 tonnes of end‑of‑life lithium‑ion batteries per day and to store up to 250 tonnes of hazardous battery waste — up from an earlier permit of 10 t/day and 50 t storage. Fortum says Kirchardt has been a “cornerstone” of its closed‑loop service since operations began in 2023. These capacity increases are already changing inbound freight flows and creating demand for certified dismantling services in southern Germany.
Complementing Fortum’s expansion, Fraunhofer IWKS’ spin‑out Viridis Recycling has won BImSchG approval for a Hanau pilot and is building an initial pilot line with commissioning scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 — a development Fraunhofer highlights as intended to accelerate industrial implementation along the German battery value chain. The Hanau approval narrows the gap between lab research and commercial processing capacity inside Germany’s supplier network.
Austria pushes secondary metals: copper platform in Lower Austria
In Austria, ASTA Energy Solutions announced on 22 September 2026 that it will invest about €17 million in a copper recycling platform at its Oed site in Lower Austria to produce copper wire from secondary copper. ASTA framed the investment as a way to reduce dependence on volatile copper markets and to secure long‑term supply for winding and conductor components. “Recycled copper wire, Made in Austria,” said ASTA CEO Dr. Karl Schaecke. The project signals that tier‑1 and tier‑2 suppliers are pursuing vertical integration of recyclates into components for e‑motors and power electronics.
Across the EU, announced new battery recycling capacities now total hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year; an EU study mapping announced plants lists multiple German facilities (Accurec Krefeld, Duesenfeld Wendeburg, Cylib sites and others) with combined new capacities measured in thousands to tens of thousands of tonnes per year. The same study shows repurposing projects in Austria and Germany, underlining that both countries are central nodes in Europe’s circular battery ecosystem.
What this means for the market
For automotive suppliers, the immediate effect is a re‑pricing of logistics and a shortening of supply chains for critical inputs: fewer shipments from overseas mines, more local inbound flows of used packs and modules, and new quality and certification demands for dismantling partners. For dealers and workshops, the growth of certified recycling hubs brings clearer disposal routes and — eventually — lower replacement‑part volatility as recovered metals re‑enter the supply chain. For employees, the shift creates new roles in sorting, dismantling and materials processing while concentrating some work in specialised hubs that require permits and safety systems. The commercial logic is clear: manufacturers and tier suppliers are moving to lock in secondary raw materials and processing capability close to German and Austrian assembly and engineering centres.
B2B vehicles for dealers on WorldTrader24 →
Sources: Fortum, ASTA Energy Solutions, Fraunhofer IWKS, EU Circular Economy platform / Battery‑News.
