The State Council will implement a market access licensing system and a points-based management system for the current ‘whitelist’ enterprises at the end of 2027
“At the end of 2027, the State Council will implement a market access licensing system and a points-based management system for the current ‘whitelist’ enterprises,” said Bai Chunping, General Manager of China National Resources Recycling Group Battery Co., Ltd. (China Recycling Resources, or “CRRC Battery”), at the 21st China Automotive Industry Development (TEDA) International Forum held this month.
According to Battery China, in order to promote the standardized management of retired batteries, since 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has successively announced five batches of enterprises that meet the Industry Standard Conditions for Comprehensive Utilization of Retired New Energy Vehicle Power Batteries (commonly referred to as the “whitelist”). A total of 156 enterprises were included. Since November 2023, when MIIT released the fifth batch of whitelist enterprises, no further lists have been published.
It is worth noting that although only 156 enterprises have been publicly listed, the number of companies eyeing the “treasure trove” of retired batteries has surged in recent years. Data from Qichacha shows that as of August 18, there are 188,300 enterprises in China involved in battery recycling, with 31.71% located in East China. More than 40% of them have been established within the past 1–3 years. Industry insiders point out that although more than 100 companies are on the whitelist, many of them have core businesses unrelated to battery recycling or have not yet started relevant operations. Thus, stricter regulation and management of whitelist enterprises is imperative.
As the “national team” in the circular economy sector, CRRC Battery is accelerating the layout of its power battery recycling and utilization business segment, focusing on standardization and compliance across recycling, reuse, and utilization.
According to data from the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, the volume of retired power batteries in China reached about 600,000 tons in 2024, is expected to hit 800,000 tons this year, and may exceed 5 million tons by 2030. The reuse of retired batteries has become a critical issue for the industry and society at large.
In February this year, the State Council executive meeting approved the Action Plan for Establishing a Sound Recycling and Utilization System for Retired Power Batteries of New Energy Vehicles. The plan aims to eliminate bottlenecks, establish a standardized, safe, and efficient recycling system, and leverage digital technology to strengthen full life-cycle traceability of power batteries—from production and sales to dismantling and reuse.
In May, MIIT convened a national meeting of the “Power Battery Recycling and Utilization Task Force,” stressing the need to regulate recycling activities through legal measures and promote high-quality industry development through standards. The meeting highlighted the importance of strengthening supervision across the entire chain, with close attention to production, vehicle scrapping, dismantling, and reuse, while using digital tools to monitor battery flows and strictly investigating illegal dismantling, environmental pollution, and unlicensed operations.
In June, six government departments—including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the General Administration of Customs—jointly issued the Announcement on Regulating the Import Management of Recycled Black Mass Raw Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries and Recycled Steel Raw Materials. The announcement clarified that “qualified recycled black mass from lithium-ion batteries is not classified as solid waste and can be freely imported”, effective August 1.
These policies are building a stronger institutional framework for the standardized recycling and reuse of retired batteries.
According to Bai Chunping, relevant government departments are also revising the implementation rules for scrapped vehicles, one of the core measures being the non-separation of vehicles and batteries. “Currently, many dismantlers receive vehicles without batteries—just empty shells. Under the new policy, if a new energy vehicle does not have its battery, a scrapping certificate will not be issued,” he explained.
Bai further noted that future policies will clearly define the respective responsibilities of battery manufacturers, users, and recyclers, ensuring transparency in the entire life cycle of batteries. He emphasized that China attaches great importance to power battery recycling, addressing key issues directly, and driving the industry toward greater standardization and healthier development.
It is also noteworthy that as power batteries and electric vehicles are exported worldwide, the issue of how to bring retired batteries back to China has become critical, as they are an essential raw material for the domestic new energy battery industry. Bai revealed that CRRC Battery is actively working on bringing overseas resources back to China to ensure the supply of critical raw materials.
Last month, 20 tons of recycled black mass for lithium-ion batteries—introduced by CRRC International (a subsidiary of China Recycling Resources) in cooperation with Huayou Recycling—was shipped from overseas to Ningbo and successfully cleared customs.
Bai added that the next step is to seek policy exemptions and pilot projects at ports to ensure smooth repatriation of overseas black mass. In addition to standardized black mass imports, the company is also pushing for pilot trials and technical studies on non-standard black mass, to open up broader recycling channels as soon as possible.
Source: Battery China, Translated by Batrecycling
