While the European market for battery pre-processing has experienced rapid growth in recent years, several large-scale material recovery projects have been canceled or suspended. As a result, the current project pipeline is insufficient to handle the volume of battery waste expected over the next decade. This shortfall poses a serious challenge to Europe’s ambitions for a circular battery economy. In a joint presentation, Hans Eric Melin from Circular Energy Storage and Thomas Bibienne from Hatch will explore the key drivers behind the recent decline in project development, including regulatory, financial, and technological factors. They will also present potential strategies to strengthen the industry and ensure adequate capacity for battery waste processing in the years ahead.