What Brunp Recycling does

Brunp Recycling (广东邦普循环科技有限公司), founded in 2005 in Foshan, Guangdong, China, is the world's largest battery recycling operator by market share at 30.5% globally. The company operates as a controlled subsidiary of CATL (宁德时代), the world's largest battery manufacturer, and functions as the recycling and materials arm of CATL's vertically integrated battery ecosystem. Brunp runs seven global production bases spanning China (Foshan, Ningde, Changsha, Yichang, Hunan) and Indonesia (Vidabe, Morowali, Buli), with active projects in the DRC and planned operations in Europe and South America, employing 10,000+ people and processing 120,000+ tons of spent batteries annually.

The company's core technology is the proprietary DRT (Directional Recycling Technology, 定向循环技术), developed in-house in 2009, which achieves 99.6% recovery rates for nickel, cobalt, and manganese and 96.5% for lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries. This is operationalized across full-chain integrated industrial parks that connect battery collection, testing, grading, cascade utilization, and regeneration into single sites. Brunp's product portfolio spans cathode materials (LFP, NCM, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium-rich manganese), anode materials (sodium-ion, silicon-carbon), precursors (NCM hydroxide, iron phosphate), lithium salts (carbonate, hydroxide), and mineral products (nickel iron). The company also developed the ICM (Integrated Carbon Rights Method) carbon footprint scheme and RMS (Raw Material Traceability Solution) as standards/methodology offerings.

Brunp's business model combines three revenue streams: (1) retired battery recycling and processing on a transaction-fee basis, recovering and reselling Ni/Co/Mn/Li back into the battery supply chain; (2) precursor and cathode material sales to battery cell manufacturers including CATL and third parties; and (3) closed-loop battery lifecycle services supporting OEM compliance with EU Battery Regulation and sustainability mandates. Pricing is commodity-driven and negotiated contract-by-contract, not publicly disclosed. GTM is enterprise field sales to NEV OEMs and battery manufacturers, supplemented by CATL's after-sales service network as a distribution channel for battery collection. Customer relationships include Volvo, BMW, FAW-Volkswagen, GAC Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz for closed-loop recycling partnerships, alongside CATL as the anchor offtake counterparty. Brunp also holds the sole global full-category RMI (Responsible Minerals Initiative) certification across nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium, and has nine factories certified as carbon neutral by SGS.

Name

Brunp Recycling

Legal name

广东邦普循环科技有限公司

Website

https://brunp.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brunp Recycling is the world's largest battery recycling operator (30.5% global market share) and a CATL-controlled subsidiary that runs proprietary DRT recycling technology across seven production bases in China and Indonesia, processing 120,000+ tons of spent batteries annually and supplying precursor and cathode materials to NEV OEMs and battery manufacturers including Volvo, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Battery Recycling and Battery Materials Manufacturing

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Battery Manufacturing (33591)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery (Li-ion, LFP, Flow, Lead-Acid) (EUAMALAE), Battery Recycling, Second-Life & Remanufacturing (IMAGAHAL), Battery Recycling & Management (Lithium-ion, Lead-acid) (BPALAIAF), Battery Materials Refining & Re-Manufacturing Feedstocks (Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Graphite Salts) (EUAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Battery recycling services
• Cathode materials manufacturing
• Lithium-ion battery materials
• Battery precursor materials
• Critical minerals recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Foshan

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retired Battery Recycling & Processing: Collects and processes retired power batteries from NEV manufacturers and consumer electronics. Revenue generated through material recovery and resale of recovered metals (nickel, cobalt, manganese, lithium) back into the battery supply chain.
2. Precursor and Cathode Material Sales: Manufactures and sells battery precursor materials and cathode active materials (NCM, LFP) produced from recycled feedstock. Supplies these materials to battery cell manufacturers including CATL and other third-party customers.
3. Closed-Loop Battery Lifecycle Services: Provides integrated battery lifecycle management services including collection, testing, grading, material recovery, and regeneration — serving as a strategic backstop for NEV OEMs seeking to meet EU Battery Regulation compliance and sustainability targets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Brunp Recycling operates an integrated battery lifecycle management platform anchored by its proprietary Directional Recycling Technology (DRT), which processes end-of-life lithium-ion batteries to recover nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium at industry-leading rates. The company manufactures and sells battery cathode materials (LFP, NCM, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium-rich manganese), anode materials, precursors, lithium salts, and mineral products to battery cell manufacturers and automotive OEMs. Its recycling services cover battery collection, testing, grading, cascade utilization, and closed-loop material regeneration through seven global production bases.

Product overview

Brunp Recycling operates as a comprehensive battery lifecycle management platform with three interconnected business segments: materials, resources, and recycling. The core offering is the DRT (Directional Recycling Technologies) platform that enables end-to-end battery recycling from collection through to regeneration of cathode materials (LFP, NCM, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium-rich manganese), anode materials (sodium-ion anodes, silicon-carbon anodes), precursors, and lithium salts. Supporting the materials business is the resource segment covering nickel, lithium, phosphorus, and cobalt resources globally. The company pioneered the ICM (Integrated Carbon Rights Method) carbon footprint calculation scheme and RMS (Raw Material Traceability Solution) for recycled material traceability, creating a complete circular economy ecosystem integrating battery production, use, cascade utilization, and closed-loop recycling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cathode Materials (正极材料) Battery cathode materials including lithium iron phosphate (LFP), NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese lithium), lithium cobalt oxide, and lithium-rich manganese-based materials produced from recycled feedstock for new battery cell manufacturing. Supplied to battery cell manufacturers.
• Anode Materials (负极材料) Battery anode materials including sodium-ion anodes and silicon-carbon anodes for next-generation battery applications. Produced from materials recovered through Brunp's recycling operations.
• Precursors (前驱体) Precursor materials including iron phosphate and NCM hydroxide for synthesis of cathode active materials. Produced from recovered metals and supplied to battery cell manufacturers for further processing into cathode materials.
• Mineral Products (矿产品) Mineral products including nickel iron (nickel pig iron) sourced from global resource operations including Brunp's Indonesia Vidabe base, supplied for industrial applications and battery material precursors.
• Lithium Salts (锂盐) Lithium salts including lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide produced from recovered lithium feedstock (reported at 17,100 tonnes/year of recycled lithium salts). Supplied as raw materials for new battery production.
• Battery Recycling Network and Services (回收业务) End-to-end battery recycling services including collection, testing, grading, cascade utilization, and material regeneration across a network of 7 global production bases. Brunp operates highly automated recovery processing with 120,000+ tons/year waste battery processing capacity, offering collection network buildout, cooperation models, capacity scale, advanced processes, and safety services to NEV OEMs and fleet operators.
• Full-Category RMI Certification Services (镍钴锰锂全品类RMI认证) Industry's only company globally to achieve Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) certification across all categories of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium, providing customers with credible responsible sourcing certifications for their battery supply chains.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.6% recovery rate for nickel, cobalt, and manganese from spent lithium-ion batteries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• CATL (宁德时代)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCATL is Brunp's parent company (subsidiary relationship). This parent-subsidiary structure gives Brunp guaranteed offtake for its recycled precursor and cathode materials, access to CATL's extensive battery after-sales service network for battery collection, and deep integration into the world's largest EV battery supply chain.
• Mercedes-Benz (梅赛德斯-奔驰)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBattery recycling partnership where Brunp provides end-of-life battery collection and material recovery services for Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles. Supports Mercedes-Benz's compliance with EU Battery Regulation requirements for recycled content and responsible sourcing.
• Zhuzhou Mercedes-BenzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional battery recycling partnership with the Zhuzhou-based Mercedes-Benz manufacturing operations for responsible end-of-life battery management.
• Central South University (中南大学)supportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology cooperation and research collaboration with Central South University's School of Metallurgy and Materials, supporting Brunp's R&D in advanced hydrometallurgical processes and new recycling technology development.
• Shanghai Chengtou (上海城投)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic cooperation with Shanghai Chengtou, a Shanghai-based urban infrastructure and environmental services company, potentially for battery recycling collection infrastructure and municipal waste battery management.
• Wuhan Public Transport (武汉公交)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation agreement with Wuhan Public Transport Group for the collection and recycling of retired electric bus batteries from Wuhan's public transit fleet.
• Greta Motor (歌特拉)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBattery recycling partnership with Greta Motor (also known as Greentech or similar EV brand) for end-of-life battery material recovery.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GEM Co. Shenzhen-listed GEM (格林美) is China's other large-scale lithium-ion battery recycler and precursor/cathode materials producer, competing directly with Brunp in NCM precursor supply and waste battery processing for Chinese OEMs.
• Li-Cycle: Toronto-listed Li-Cycle operates one of the largest lithium-ion battery resource recovery networks in North America and Europe, targeting similar end-of-life feedstock streams and competing for the same OEM recycling partnerships.
• Redwood Materials: Founded by Tesla's former CTO, Redwood Materials recycles end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and produces anode copper foil and cathode active materials — a direct Western analogue of Brunp's closed-loop model with major OEM backing.
• SungEel HiTech: South Korea's largest battery recycler, SungEel HiTech processes spent lithium-ion batteries into black mass and precursor materials, serving Korean cell makers and competing with Brunp for Asian OEM recycling contracts.
• Cirba Solutions: North American battery materials and recycling company (formerly Battery Solutions / Retriev) processing end-of-life lithium-ion batteries into recycled cathode precursor — a direct North American peer to Brunp's materials recovery business.

Broad incumbents

• Umicore: Belgian materials technology group operating one of Europe's largest battery materials and precious metals recycling/refining businesses; competes with Brunp for European OEM battery recycling mandates at a much broader portfolio scale.
• Glencore: Global mining and commodities giant with cobalt and nickel recycling/refining operations and significant battery-adjacent materials trading; competes indirectly with Brunp for feedstock supply and recovered metal offtake markets.

Emerging players

• Ascend Elements: US-based battery materials company commercializing direct cathode active material regeneration (Hydro-to-Cathode™) from spent lithium-ion cells — a direct recycling technology that could compete with Brunp's hydrometallurgical DRT route in Western markets.
• Princeton NuEnergy: US-based direct recycling startup using plasma-based cathode regeneration to recover intact cathode materials from end-of-life batteries — adjacent technology that could erode Brunp's recovery-rate advantage in next-generation recycling.
• BatX Energies: India-based lithium-ion battery recycler extracting critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese) from end-of-life batteries for reintroduction into the supply chain — an emerging Asian peer with a comparable materials-recovery value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/guangdong-brunp-recycling-technology-co.-ltd

Compliance15 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Brunp Recycling