Earth Day 2025: Powering a More Resilient Energy Future Through Sustainable Battery Recycling

Lead Batteries Provide Reliable Energy Storage

Lead batteries are a trusted, proven solution for storing energy generated by solar, wind, and other renewable sources. Because renewable power often fluctuates based on weather or time of day, dependable battery storage is essential to maintain consistent energy delivery.

Lead batteries help balance supply and demand, stabilize the power grid, and provide backup energy in off-grid or remote locations. With a long-standing track record of safety, affordability, and dependability, they reduce power disruptions, increase grid reliability, and extend energy access where it’s needed most.

Closing the Loop on Material Recovery

What truly sets lead batteries apart is their circular lifecycle. With a 99% recycling rate, lead batteries are the most recycled consumer product in the U.S. The materials recovered — including lead, plastic, and electrolytes — are reused to manufacture new batteries, minimizing waste and reducing the need for virgin resources.

ABR members have helped pioneer a closed-loop circular economy, in which nearly every component of a spent lead battery is recycled and repurposed. This approach dramatically reduces greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption compared to mining new materials — while also ensuring that domestic manufacturers have the raw materials needed for new battery production.

In fact, approximately 80% of the material in a typical new lead battery comes from recycled sources — a powerful example of how recycling can support our domestic energy infrastructure.