BATTPRO – Battery Takeback Professionalization to Support Environmental Protection in Cambodia and Thailand

A worker wearing gloves stands at an assembly line and sorts many different batteries by hand.

Current Situation & Challenges

In Cambodia and Thailand, there is a lack of infrastructure for the collection and recycling of batteries, which presents a significant challenge for the effective management of these materials.

As a result, some of the batteries are improperly disposed of in unsecured landfills, releasing harmful substances such as heavy metals into the environment. This poses significant risks to public health and the environment, as well as the potential for compromising the supply of clean groundwater and surface water. In addition, the rise of new lithium-ion batteries introduces an increased fire hazard during waste transport, landfill disposal, or waste treatment processes.

Project Objective & Approach

The objective of this project is to implement a sustainable take-back and recycling system for household and lithium-ion batteries in Cambodia and Thailand.

As part of this initiative, a comprehensive status quo analysis will be conducted in both countries to assess battery volumes and market conditions.

The insights gained will be used to bring local stakeholders and decision-makers together with experts, with the aim of developing solutions and approaches for the establishment of a take-back and recycling system. Furthermore, the expansion of local expertise and capacity in the battery sector, supported by German know-how, will help improve the environmental situation in these countries.

A hand holding batteries to put them in a green collection box.

Implementation Strategy

To professionalize the take-back and recycling infrastructure in each country, a comprehensive status quo analysis of the battery sector will be conducted. This will assist in defining the scope of battery volumes and market conditions, as well as providing an overview of the current take-back and recycling capacities for household and lithium-ion batteries in Cambodia and Thailand.

Based on this analysis, we will gather all relevant local stakeholders and decision-makers with experts to develop practical, organizational, and financially viable solutions for the take-back and recycling of the aforementioned batteries.

In the following, target groups in both the public and private sector will be identified, contacted, and engaged. The objective is to present country-specific plans and recommendations to the respective royal governments, allowing them to determine the implementation of potential solutions.

In order to promote sustainable, long-term economic practices, it is desirable to prepare for the introduction of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for batteries. The close collaboration with the Society for International Cooperation in the target countries allows for the transfer of insights to other countries in the ASEAN region.