China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has ordered stricter enforcement of laws governing the recycling of retired new energy vehicle (NEV) batteries, as the country enters a peak period for battery retirements, state media reported Thursday.
At a recent industry meeting, the ministry said it will investigate and penalize unlawful practices such as improper disposal, production of low-quality battery products, failure to track battery data, illegal dismantling causing pollution and unlicensed operations.
With annual retired batteries expected to exceed 1 million tonnes by 2030, authorities will deploy digital tools to monitor battery flows and enforce corporate accountability.
The ministry also called for deeper industry-wide collaboration to advance recycling technologies and business models.