The Power of Recycling

Industry Facts

Lead battery recycling is the most successful recycling program in the United States, with 99% of all spent lead batteries being recycled and the materials reused in new batteries.

An amazing 99% of all lead batteries in the U.S. are recycled,1 compared to 50.4% of aluminum cans, making lead batteries the most recycled consumer product in the U.S.2  

Modern, closed-loop recycling keeps more than 160 million lead batteries from landfills each year.1  

Lead batteries rank among the top five consumer product categories in sustainability.10

Start-stop technology using lead batteries is eliminating nearly 6.7 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually in the U.S.8    

Over 50% of the world's rechargeable energy storage needs, including the booming renewable energy sector's requirements, are met by efficient lead batteries.

Lead batteries are used worldwide in virtually every hybrid and electric vehicle. They are an integral part of start-stop and micro-hybrid engine systems, which lower fuel consumption by up to 10%.6  

A new lead battery is typically comprised of more than 80% recycled material.6

The lead in lead batteries can be recycled an infinite number of times.

Lead batteries power nearly 290 million cars and trucks in the U.S.11

Approximately 60% of forklifts in the U.S. contain and rely on lead batteries.3  

Lead batteries help to safely transport Americans via public transportation 34 million times each weekday.  

Lead batteries are one of the dominant battery chemistries used to support a U.S. communications infrastructure worth more than $1 trillion.9

The global automotive industry produces nearly 70 million new vehicles annually. On average, each vehicle will use three to four lead batteries over its lifespan.

1 National Recycled Rate Study, Battery Council International, 2023.
2 Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Fact Sheet, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dec. 2020.​
3 Top 20 Lift Truck Suppliers in 2019: Market Reaches New Heights, Modern Materials Handling, 2019 
 Avicenne Energy Report commissioned by Consortium for Battery Innovation, Nov. 2023.
 Public Transportation Facts, American Public Transportation Association, 2022.  
 "Environmental Impact and Life Cycle Assessment of Lead Battery and Architectural Sheet Production,” The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2016                                                                                                  
 Worldwide Car Sales 2010-2021, Statistica Research Department, 2022
 Consortium for Battery Innovation, 2022.
9 Reliability Primer, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 2016
10 2017 Impact Report, The Sustainability Consortium, 2017
11 Vehicles-in-Operation, IHS Markit, April 2022.

Lead Batteries in Everyday Life

Recycled lead-based batteries impact aspects of our daily lives.

Learn More