Hilti and Livium sign battery recycling agreement

A three-year exclusive agreement between Livium Ltd and Hilti (Aust.) Pty Ltd. will start on April 1, 2025. This partnership enables Hilti to recycle its Fleet Management batteries in Australia.

This will support Livium’s aim to widen its recycling material supply chain, whilst also enlarging access to end-of-life lithium-ion batteries through a variety of sectors.

Livium will receive service fees from Hilti for sorting, collecting, and recycling services, and they will also get rebates from the Battery Stewardship Council’s B-Cycle program.

The Fleet Management model operated by Hilti provides businesses with a service-based alternative to traditional tool ownership. This model includes repairs, incorporating maintenance and battery replacement, and it works under a fixed fee structure.

Hilti was founded in 1941 and it specialises in construction technology, software, delivering innovative tools, and services to industry professionals worldwide. To show their commitment to environmental responsibility, Hilti is involved in battery recycling initiatives and makes certain that end-of-life batteries are effectively managed so that waste is minimised and circular economy outcomes are supported.

For Livium, this agreement will result in a strengthened commercial position and a stable and scalable source of used batteries coming from the power tool sector. It will also emphasise Livium’s dedication to responsible battery recycling, plus other circular economy practices, and the agreement will benefit their existing contracts with e-mobility and energy storage industries.

Simon Linge, Livium CEO and managing director, commented, “We appreciate the trust shown by Hilti to recycle their Fleet Management lithium-ion batteries on an exclusive basis. We see this as further validation of the service we provide to enable manufacturers, like Hilti, to meet their goals in product stewardship. Hilti’s willingness to ensure that the recycling of their consumer batteries are paid for in full through a service fee and the B-Cycle rebate scheme is testament to Hilti’s ESG credentials. It also demonstrates the means to make consumer battery recycling economically sound.”

Linge continued, “Livium’s recycling business is building the pipeline of various customers and channels so that we can deal with their current end-of-life lithium-ion batteries but importantly their future volumes which they forecast to grow significantly over the next few years. We thank Hilti for their partnership, their vision and look forward to providing quality services for them.”

Martin Stirling, Hilti Codes & Approvals (Firestop) / WHS Manager, mentioned “Hilti has laid the foundations for a functioning circular economy in the power tool market segment through its Fleet Management leasing service. Viable spare parts are harvested from collected Fleet Management tools and the balance of materials are recycled. Now, to complete the tool end-of-life process, all ex-Fleet Li-Ion batteries are responsibly recycled onshore in Australia through our partner Envirostream.”