Librec

What Librec does

Librec AG is a privately-held Swiss lithium-ion battery recycling company founded in 2021 and headquartered at Fabrikstrasse 119, 4562 Biberist. The company operates a mechanical recycling process that converts lithium-ion battery materials — cells, modules, and packs across all major chemistries (NMC, LFP, LTO) — into black mass suitable as feedstock for new battery production. Its core technical claims include a recovery rate above 97% for cobalt, nickel, lithium, manganese, graphite, copper, aluminum, and electrolyte; energy consumption under 250 kWh per tonne; a carbon footprint of 25 kg CO2-equivalent per tonne; and operation on 100% renewable energy (Swiss hydropower, photovoltaic, and residual energy from the batteries themselves).

The company runs a 9,000-tonne-per-year industrial facility in Biberist that held its official opening ceremony on April 4, 2025, with industrial plants already manufactured to support expansion to 12,000 tonnes of annual capacity. Its revenue model rests on three streams: direct sales of black mass to battery manufacturers, toll processing (fee-based contract recycling), and material purchasing. Customers span automotive OEMs and EV manufacturers, battery producers, and recycling industry participants, including named relationships with ABB, Astara, and Porsche Schweiz. The company serves seven European countries (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy) through direct website-based enterprise sales and a European collector/logistics partner network that includes sites in Poland, Germany, Italy, and France.

Commercially, Librec remains an early-stage operator: current headcount is 1–10 employees against a planned workforce of up to 40 at the Biberist site, and its initial capital structure has been primarily grant-funded (Innosuisse, Swiss Federal Office of Environment, VentureKick) rather than venture-backed. The company also pursues closed-loop certification (a "LIBREC Certificate" demonstrating that 97% of processed material re-enters the battery supply chain) as a differentiator aligned with EU battery regulation and circular-economy compliance requirements for its customer base.

Name

Librec

Legal name

Librec AG

Website

https://librec.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Librec AG is a Swiss lithium-ion battery recycler that converts cells, modules, and packs of all chemistries into black mass for closed-loop supply chains. Operating from a 9,000-tonne-per-year Biberist facility, it serves automotive OEMs and battery manufacturers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Battery Recycling Services

NAICS

Battery Manufacturing (33591), Battery Manufacturing (335910)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Lithium-ion Battery Recycling (Mechanical, Hydro, Direct Recycling) (EUAIAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Black Mass Production & Upgrading (Concentration, Purification) (EUAIAIAI), Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery (Li-ion, LFP, Flow, Lead-Acid) (EUAMALAE), Battery Dismantling, Discharge & Pre-processing (Safe Handling, Shredding, Black Mass Production) (EUAFACAB)

Keywords

• Battery recycling services
• Lithium-ion recycling
• Black mass production
• Closed-loop recycling
• Battery materials recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Oensingen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Black Mass Sales: Processing of lithium-ion batteries into black mass and selling the resulting perfectly dry and highly pure black mass to battery manufacturers for closed-loop supply chain.
2. Toll Processing Services: Contract manufacturing services where LIBREC processes customer batteries on a fee basis, including closed-loop options.
3. Battery Material Purchasing: Flexible business model offering material purchasing alongside toll processing to maximize overall value creation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Librec processes large lithium-ion batteries from e-mobility into high-purity black mass using a proprietary mechanical recycling process at its 9,000 tonnes-per-year Biberist facility in Switzerland, achieving a >97% material recovery rate. It serves automotive OEMs, battery manufacturers, and recycling partners across Europe through two flexible commercial models: toll processing (fee-based recycling) and material purchasing (buy-back and resale of black mass), backed by a closed-loop LIBREC Certificate.

Product overview

Librec operates as Europe's leading partner for lithium-ion battery recycling, offering a comprehensive service that processes all types of lithium-ion battery materials (cells, modules, packs) across all cell chemistries (NMC, LFP, LTO). The core offering is a mechanical recycling process producing black mass with a >97% recovery rate and industry-lowest carbon footprint of just 25 kg CO₂ per ton processed. The service encompasses storage, discharge, dismantling, black mass production, and black mass sales as individual service components, combined with a closed-loop recycling guarantee and flexible business models (material purchasing or toll processing). The company operates from its Biberist, Switzerland facility with a European collector network, offering an exclusive LIBREC Certificate to verify material circularity for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Service Comprehensive recycling service that processes all types of lithium-ion battery materials — cells, modules, and packs across all cell chemistries (NMC, LFP, LTO) — at the Biberist facility, with >97% material recovery and an industry-low 25 kg CO2 footprint per tonne. Targeted at automotive OEMs, EV manufacturers, battery producers, and recycling partners needing industrial-scale closed-loop recycling.
• Black Mass Production and Sales Mechanical processing of lithium-ion battery materials into perfectly dry and highly pure black mass, sold as feedstock to battery manufacturers for reintroduction into new cell production under Librec's material purchasing business model.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 97% material recovery rate for lithium-ion batteries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Porsche SchweizcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Partnership announced February 2026 for battery recycling services with Porsche Schweiz.
• Innosuisse (with Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne, EMPA, German experts)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Innosuisse-supported project launched with Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne, EMPA, and German experts for technology development.
• LibattioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership and collaboration established with Libattion (up-cycling, second life) at the same site for integrated battery lifecycle services.
• BATREC Industrie AGminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration with BATREC Industrie AG (Wimmis, BE) for battery recycling operations.
• Stiftung Auto-Recycling Schweiz / auto-schweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Swiss Auto-Recycling Foundation and auto-schweiz for automotive battery recycling ecosystem development.
• GallikerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLogistics partner in the European collector network for battery material collection and transport.
• Lib-Logistics (Lip-Logistics)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLogistics partner for battery material transportation in Europe.
• PaprecminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecycling partner in the European network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Li-Cycle: Canadian-headquartered lithium-ion battery recycler using a mechanical pre-processing ('Spoke') to black-mass model similar to Librec, with downstream hydrometallurgical refining ('Hub'). Most directly comparable global peer given matching process architecture and product output.
• Redwood Materials: US-based lithium-ion battery recycler founded by JB Straubel (Tesla co-founder). Operates at significantly larger scale with integrated cathode-active-material production; competes for the same European OEM offtake mandates Librec is targeting.
• Hydrovolt: Norwegian joint venture between Norsk Hydro and Northvolt operating a commercial EV-battery recycling plant. Direct competitor for European automotive scrap feedstock with similar mechanical-plus-hydrometallurgical process flow.
• Duesenfeld: German lithium-ion battery recycler using a low-temperature mechanical recycling process. Comparable as a European mid-scale specialist competing for DACH-region OEM and battery-maker feedstock, with similar end-product (black mass).
• Primobius: Joint venture between Neometals and SMS group for lithium-ion battery recycling using hydrometallurgical processing. Direct peer serving automotive OEMs and battery makers in Europe, with planned commercial plants in Germany.
• ACCUREC: German specialist in lithium-ion and nickel-metal-hydride battery recycling. Comparable mid-scale European recycler focused on production scrap and end-of-life batteries, with similar black-mass output and customer profile.

Broad incumbents

• Umicore: Belgian global materials technology and refining group with an established battery materials and recycling business. Large-scale incumbent competing for black-mass feedstock and offering downstream refining — broader portfolio but overlapping customer base with Librec.
• Northvolt: Swedish battery cell manufacturer with an integrated recycling arm (Revolt Ett). Competitor for end-of-life EV scrap in the Nordics and a partner/competitor depending on segment; broader scope than Librec but overlapping customer ecosystem.
• Fortum: Finnish energy company with an established battery recycling business using a hydrometallurgical process. Larger incumbent serving Nordic and European battery makers; overlapping target customers and broader portfolio including energy generation.
• Glencore: Swiss-headquartered global commodities and mining giant with growing battery materials and recycling exposure (e.g., partnerships with Britishvolt successor entities, Li-Cycle offtakes). Competes indirectly for black-mass feedstock pricing and downstream refining capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Librec