Earth Day 2023: Near-Zero Waste Batteries for a Greener Future

If new batteries require virgin mining and end up in the garbage, then everyone pays.

With the marketing hype surrounding energy storage, it’s hard to see the staggering battery waste that starts upstream in mining and manufacturing — and ends with millions of batteries destined for landfills.

This Earth Day, we’re pulling back the curtain on how our battery choices can build a more sustainable future — and boost your profits.

Look, batteries are everywhere — from our cellphones and laptops to cars, planes, and grocery store distribution centers. And batteries are critical as we shift to electrification and reduce carbon emissions. But things aren’t always as green as they seem.

Behind the scenes, some batteries (including Crown’s) are made using 99% recyclable materials. Others are 95% landfilled.

When batteries end up in landfills, they can take thousands of years to decompose – all while polluting our soil and drinking water today. In contrast, low-waste batteries are easily recycled and have a much smaller environmental footprint.

That’s the Battery Recycling Gap — and we’ve laid out a plan to close it.

Individual manufacturers also play a critical role in reducing battery waste, from how they select raw materials to their energy sources and manufacturing processes.

For instance, Crown Battery was the first large-scale battery manufacturer in North America to source 100% renewable energy for manufacturing. That slashed our upstream pollution and earned us a spot in the EPA Green Power Partnership — a landmark for the battery industry.

Low-waste batteries are more sustainable and cost-effective — if you know what to look for.

That’s because low-waste batteries are engineered and assembled to last longer and require fewer replacements. They’re built using fewer materials and less scrap, lowering production costs while protecting quality. They have higher recycling rates. And they require less virgin mining.

And this Earth Day, you don’t need to research hundreds of scientific journals and articles to pick Near-Zero Waste Batteries because our engineers and executives did the hard work for you — our gift to protect your time and our environment.

To learn more about how to select sustainable batteries — whether from us or another manufacturer — click here for our Sustainability Fact Book.

And to see how close we’re getting to Zero Battery Waste, check out John Connell’s “Stop Landfilling Batteries.”

In the article, you’ll discover:

• Why some batteries are landfilled 95% of the time, while others are recycled at 99%
• Simple steps that reduce battery waste toward zero
• Are we actually close to battery repurposing?
• How to decrease our dependency on virgin-mined materials, and unethical and fragile supply chains?
• And more

Together, we can get to Zero Battery Waste. It’s the smart investment to protect our planet and your wallet.