Recycled content and recycling of electric vehicle batteries in the context of EU battery regulation: Methodological deficits and strategic approaches for sustainable battery materials

The EU Battery Regulation (EBR) aims for environmentally sustainable batteries but relies solely on carbon footprint (CFB). This study investigates alignment with EU targets by analyzing a representative lithium-ion battery via scenario analyses (cut-off vs. Circular Footprint Formula, CFF) regarding recycled content (RC), recycling efficiency, and renewable energy. Results indicate mandatory RC yields only modest climate change (CC) reductions. While efficient recycling and renewable energy reduce CFB, they increase Resource Use of Minerals and Metals (RU-M). Correlation analysis confirms CC as a valid proxy for most categories, but explicitly not for RU-M ( r = -0.62 for CFF and r = 0.36 for cut-off). Thus, CC alone is insufficient. Comparing CFF and cut-off, CC varies slightly with a standard deviation of 4.00 %. We recommend expanding impact categories, broadening RC requirements, and clarifying recycling guidelines.