Fortum Battery Recycling and Vianode have signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which the two companies will work together to secure supplies of high-quality recycled graphite concentrate from Fortum’s hydrometallurgical plant in Harjavalta, Finland. Both companies will also develop and optimize recycled graphite materials for use in Vianode’s commercial-scale anode production.

“Fortum Battery Recycling and Vianode have a shared commitment to a more sustainable and less resource-intensive EV battery industry. By recovering valuable and critical graphite from used batteries and returning it to the cycle as battery-grade material, we help enable the production of new lithium-ion batteries with a significantly lower environmental footprint,” says Tero Holländer at Fortum Battery Recycling.

"Recycling graphite from end-of-life batteries is vital to reduce dependence on virgin raw materials, lower carbon emissions, and build sustainable supply chains. Access to recycled graphite concentrate with potential to scale volumes over time will support Vianode’s ambition to deliver high-quality anode materials with an industry-leading CO₂ footprint below 1 kilogram CO₂e per kilogram of graphite by 2030”, says Dr. Stefan Bergold, Chief Commercial Officer of Vianode.

Graphite anode material represents the largest component of lithium-ion batteries by weight, typically around 70 kilograms per EV. The majority of graphite used in EV batteries is synthetic graphite, of which around 90% is currently imported from China. Towards 2030, Europe is expected to see a significant increase in battery recycling as the first generation of EVs reaches the end of their life and new EU legislation requires higher recovery rates and the use of recycled materials in new batteries.

Fortum Battery Recycling operates Europe’s largest closed-loop hydrometallurgical battery recycling facility in Harjavalta, Finland. In March 2025, Fortum's Harjavalta facility was recognized by the European Commission as a Strategic Project as part of the implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), aiming to ensure European production of raw materials needed for green transition.