India’s rapid growth in electric vehicles and renewable energy systems is driving strong growth in lithium-ion battery demand. This study provides an India-specific life cycle assessment of manufacturing using imported primary materials with pathways incorporating domestically recycled materials. Two battery chemistries of strategic relevance to India, nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC 532) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP), were evaluated using a functional unit of 1 kWh battery pack. The ReCiPe midpoint method was used to quantify the environmental impacts, with a focus on major emission indicators (CO2, NOx, SOx, and PM10) in the Indian electricity mix. The results show that NMC 532 batteries exhibit higher emissions than LFP batteries, largely due to the energy-intensive production of nickel and cobalt sulphate precursors. The incorporation of recycled materials substantially reduces emissions for both chemistries. It decreases by 30% for NMC532 and 36% for LFP. Hotspot analysis shows that precursor production, electricity use, and chemical inputs in hydrometallurgical recycling are the main causes of the remaining effects. This study shows that integrating recycling to India’s LIB supply chain improves climate and air quality outcomes, enhances critical mineral recovery and supports sustainable manufacturing through circular economy pathways for India’s battery and clean energy transition.
Verma et al. (Fri,) studied this question.