Battery manufacturer Sunlight Group more than doubles lead recycling

The plans of the Sunlight Group include the doubling of the annual production capacity of the recycling unit that operates in Komotini, by 2025 from 45,000 tons of soft lead and lead alloys to 100,000 tons.

According to a relevant announcement, this expansion brings the Sunlight recycling unit to the top of its kind in terms of single factory production, as it will now be one of the largest producers of secondary lead in Europe.

The unit recycles up to 25,000 tons of used batteries

The Sunlight Group battery recycling unit is the most modern lead-acid battery recycling unit in Europe, certified by the European Union EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) system. It has been operating since 2014 and can recycle up to 25,000 tons of used batteries per year. It employs over 80 persons and supplies Sunlight’s main production unit in Xanthi with over 50% of its raw material needs, significantly reducing the use of natural resources and strengthening the company’s supply chain.

Sunlight’s recycling activity and the implementation of the business model of the circular economy are fully in line with the EU’s ambitious target of recycling 80% of lead-acid batteries by 2030. The company will invest a total of 9 million. euros in the coming years for building facilities, adding equipment and staff. With the installation of automated processes, machinery and systems, and increasing the number of employees to 110, by 2025 Sunlight aims to more than double the production capacity of soft lead and lead alloy bars from 45,000 tons per year to 100,000 tons. The investments are part of the general business plan of the company to expand its activity in its facilities in Greece and abroad.

“We are called upon to protect the environment”

Commenting on the investment plan for the expansion, Dr. Athanasios Karakatsanis, Recycling Production Manager of Sunlight Group, noted: “We are proud to operate one of the best recycling plants in Europe and look forward to expanding our operations. Our quest to more than double the recycling capacity responds to key EU sustainability needs and helps Greece achieve the country’s recycling targets. At the same time, and within the framework of the circular economy model that we apply, we are preparing to increase and strengthen the supply of the production unit in Xanthi with raw materials-products of our own recycling. And at the same time, we are living up to our ESG commitments. This is an investment that benefits everyone, and especially the environment, which we are called to protect and preserve for future generations.”