tozero launches production of lithium and other critical raw materials for Europe's Energy Independence
Set up in just six months, tozero’s industrial demo plant represents one of the fastest scale-ups in battery recycling to date.
Last Update: 27.03.2026
Munich, March 27, 2026 tozero – Europe's leading battery recycling startup – has launched its first industrial demonstration plant in Germany capable of turning end-of-life batteries into domestic supplies of lithium, graphite and a nickel-cobalt mix at scale for the first time.
Located in Bavaria at Chemical Park Gendorf, the plant was established in a record six months and can process more than 1.500t of battery waste every year. From this waste, tozero can produce high-purity lithium carbonate – the equivalent of saving 6,000 electric vehicles' worth of batteries from landfill – and recover graphite and nickel-cobalt mix at industrial scale. Thanks to tozero’s proprietary acid-free, hydrometallurgical process, this recycling takes place in a single, superior cycle and the recovered materials are pure enough to feed directly back into manufacturing.
tozero has already demonstrated successful qualification of its recycled lithium and graphite for lithium-ion batteries with leading cathode and anode manufacturers. Building on this, the company aims to close the battery materials loop and support Europe’s ambition to achieve greater independence in critical raw materials. This aligns with the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, which calls for 25% of supply to come from recycling sources.
tozero finally gives Europe a domestic source of critical materials – freeing it from its overwhelming dependence on Chinese imports. The facility will be used to deliver recycled lithium and graphite to companies across sectors including construction, ceramics, and lubricants, with further materials and industries to follow.
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"Europe doesn't yet have the critical raw materials it needs to build and scale its own energy transition and battery industry," said Sarah Fleischer, Co-founder and CEO of tozero. "Our technology changes this by enabling us to recycle end-of-life batteries and extract these materials at industrial scale for the first time. In just under four years, tozero has gone from lab-scale experiments to industrial operations and we’re consistently proving that recycling isn't just a pilot project – it can be delivered at a level capable of giving Europe a homegrown, circular supply of critical materials its future runs on."
“Scaling our technology from lab to industrial production in such a short time is a defining milestone for any deep-tech founder and marks the transition from development to real-world validation at industrial scale. It’s a milestone I’m very proud of, especially seeing the team bring this plant to life.” said Dr. Ksenija Milicevic Neumann, Co-founder and CTO of tozero.
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A turning point for Europe’s resource sovereignty
Following its success, the industrial demo plant will now form the blueprint for a full-scale commercial operation planned for 2030, capable of producing thousands tonnes of lithium carbonate and graphite. It also forms a blueprint for Europe’s ability to secure a sustainable and independent supply of the critical raw materials its growing battery industry needs.
Global demand for lithium is set to quadruple by 2030, while in the EU alone, graphite demand is expected to rise by up to 25 times by 2040, driven by EVs, grid-scale storage and industrial electrification. Yet Europe remains almost entirely reliant on imports – China controls global graphite supplies, and 99% of Europe's lithium comes from abroad. Ironically, Europe is sitting on a stockpile of the very materials it's scrambling to source in the growing number of end-of-life batteries, largely from Europe’s growth in EVs, across the continent. It hasn’t been possible to recover them effectively until now.
The projected exponential growth in material demand is expected to result in a global supply gap exceeding 33% from 2035 onward. As a result, battery recycling will become essential, emerging as a key alternative source of critical raw materials. Leveraging its breakthrough recycling process, tozero enables this transition without a “green premium,” instead delivering a “green discount.” Positioned as a “miner of tomorrow,” tozero is on an accelerated path to help bridge the critical raw material supply gap sustainably.
tozero’s approach not only enables the industry to re-use both current and future materials from this stockpile, while reducing the reliance on virgin materials, but it creates a circular, domestic supply chain that strengthens Europe's competitiveness in the global race for next-generation energy technologies.
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tozero’s unprecedented pace
Founded in 2022 by Sarah Fleischer, a serial entrepreneur and mechanical engineer, and Dr. Ksenija Milicevic Neumann, leading metallurgy expert, tozero has scaled at pace. In April 2024, nine months after opening its pilot facility, it became the first company in Europe to deliver recycled lithium to commercial customers. It has since completed pilots with BMW, MAN, and other automotive OEMs, demonstrating a stable >80% lithium recovery rate – already meeting the 2031 EU target – and in February 2025 became the first in Europe to qualify 100% recycled graphite for use in lithium-ion battery cell production at an industrial scale.
The company works with partners across 10 European countries and has been recognised globally for leadership in impact and innovation, is a World Economic Forum’s Tech Pioneer, winning the Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge and the EPiC Challenge, and featuring among Norrsken's Top 100 impact startups for three consecutive years.
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About tozero
tozero is building Europe’s first industrial infrastructure for lithium-ion battery recycling. Its proprietary process enables the recovery of high-purity materials such as lithium, and graphite, reintroducing them into the production cycle of batteries and electric vehicles. By closing the loop, tozero is driving Europe’s independence from raw material imports and setting new standards for a resilient and competitive industry. Founded by an international team that combines entrepreneurial drive with deep engineering expertise, tozero enables a resilient European economy, based on local supply of critical raw materials.​​​​
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For inquiries, please contact:
tozero GmbH | Rosa-Bavarese-Str. 3 | 80639 Munich
Sarah Fleischer | CEO
Email: hello@tozero.solutions