Industry Facts
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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.
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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
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Modern, closed-loop recycling keeps more than 160 million lead batteries from landfills each year.1
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Lead batteries rank among the top five consumer product categories in sustainability.10
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Start-stop technology using lead batteries is eliminating nearly 6.7 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually in the U.S.8
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Over 50% of the world's rechargeable energy storage needs, including the booming renewable energy sector's requirements, are met by efficient lead batteries.4
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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
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A new lead battery is typically comprised of more than 80% recycled material.6
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The lead in lead batteries can be recycled an infinite number of times.
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Lead batteries power nearly 290 million cars and trucks in the U.S.11
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Approximately 60% of forklifts in the U.S. contain and rely on lead batteries.3
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Lead batteries help to safely transport Americans via public transportation 34 million times each weekday.5
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Lead batteries are one of the dominant battery chemistries used to support a U.S. communications infrastructure worth more than $1 trillion.9
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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.7
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
4 Avicenne Energy Report commissioned by Consortium for Battery Innovation, Nov. 2023.
5 Public Transportation Facts, American Public Transportation Association, 2022.
6 "Environmental Impact and Life Cycle Assessment of Lead Battery and Architectural Sheet Production,” The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2016
7 Worldwide Car Sales 2010-2021, Statistica Research Department, 2022
8 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.
Recycled lead-based batteries impact aspects of our daily lives.