Munich, Germany, November 5, 2026 -- Burgkirchen / Munich, Germany, November 5, 2026 — tozero, a German deep-tech company recovering critical raw materials from lithium-ion battery waste, has completed its first delivery of recycled lithium carbonate produced at its demonstration plant at Chemical Park Gendorf to a German ceramics customer.
The delivery demonstrates tozero’s ability to recover lithium from battery waste and produce recycled lithium carbonate tailored to the requirements of an industrial customer.
The shipment represents an important milestone toward execution of the companies’ long-term binding offtake agreement and future recurring supply.
From Technology Validation to Customer Delivery
"Delivering a product that meets the requirements of an industrial customer is an important moment for any deep-tech company. It reflects years of dedication, problem-solving and determination by our team. From the beginning, we believed that innovation needs to have a clear industrial purpose and that every euro invested should move us closer to creating real value for our customers," said Dr. Ksenija Neumann, founder and Co-CEO of tozero.
The lithium carbonate was produced at tozero’s demonstration plant at Chemical Park Gendorf, where the company is validating its recycling technology, product quality and process performance under customer-relevant conditions.
Since launching operations in Gendorf, tozero has focused on increasing operational stability, validating its process at larger scale and producing materials for customer qualification.
"Building new industrial technology requires creativity, discipline and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking," Neumann added.
"We have been deliberate in how we deploy capital: first prove the technology, then validate it with customers, and use those learnings to design the next stage of industrial scale-up. This delivery is another important step along that path."
Customer Validation
"Receiving recycled lithium carbonate from tozero marks an important milestone in our collaboration and reflects our shared ambition to build more sustainable, resilient and regionally anchored supply chains."
"Increasing the use of recycled raw materials will be an important part of reducing reliance on primary resources and lowering the environmental footprint of industrial production. We are pleased to take this step together with tozero and look forward to expanding the role of circular materials in our future production."
— Daniel Schulze Zur Verth, Managing Director of Botz GmbH
Serving Multiple Industries with Recycled Lithium
tozero’s recycled lithium can address the needs of multiple industries facing increasing pressure on raw-material supply.
Beyond batteries, sectors such as ceramics also depend on reliable access to lithium and are looking for more sustainable alternatives to primary raw materials.
For tozero, this is an important part of the vision: enabling different industries to access regionally sourced, recycled critical materials while reducing dependence on primary extraction and imported supply.
At the same time, tozero continues advancing the technology toward additional applications, including battery-grade lithium materials.
The ability to recover lithium from end-of-life batteries and manufacture products according to different customer specifications is an important part of tozero’s strategy.
Rather than attempting to control every stage of the battery recycling value chain, the company focuses on the recovery and refining of valuable critical raw materials from black mass.
This approach reduces capital intensity while enabling tozero to work with existing collection, preprocessing and industrial supply-chain partners.
Automotive Industry Perspective
While tozero sees significant potential to serve multiple industries that depend on lithium, the company continues to advance its technology toward battery-grade applications and the long-term objective of returning recycled lithium from end-of-life batteries back into battery production.
"This is exactly the kind of industrial progress we want to see. Demonstrating the ability to recover lithium from used batteries and produce recycled lithium carbonate to a customer’s specification is an important step toward the ultimate goal of battery-grade materials. Less than 2% of the available black mass is processed to extract lithium in Europe. That is why building a resilient European battery value chain requires more than promising technology — it requires demonstrated execution, strong industrial partnerships and a clear pathway toward scale."
— Axel Strotbek, former automotive executive and business angel
Strengthening European Critical Raw Material Supply
Europe remains highly dependent on imported critical raw materials used across batteries and other strategic industries.
Recovering materials such as lithium from existing battery waste provides an opportunity to retain valuable resources within regional supply chains while reducing dependency on primary raw-material extraction and imports.
By converting battery waste into materials that can be validated and ultimately reintegrated into industrial applications, tozero is building the technological foundation for a more circular and resilient critical-materials supply chain.
Preparing for the Next Stage of Industrial Scale-Up
Following the progress achieved at its Gendorf demonstration plant and the start of customer product deliveries, tozero is preparing for its next phase of industrial scale-up.
The next phase will build on the technical validation, operating experience and customer relationships established through the Gendorf demonstration plant.
"Our objective is not simply to prove that lithium can be recovered from battery waste," said Neumann.
"We want to build a scalable industrial business around it. Customer validation is what connects technology with the market, and this delivery brings us another step closer to that goal."
About tozero
Founded in 2022, tozero is a Munich-based deep-tech company developing technology for the recovery of critical raw materials from lithium-ion battery waste. Its proprietary process enables the recovery of materials including lithium and graphite, with the aim of reintegrating them into industrial supply chains and reducing dependence on primary and imported raw materials. tozero operates a demonstration plant at Chemical Park Gendorf in Germany and has conducted industrial validation activities with partners including BMW and MAN. The company has raised €17 million from investors including NordicNinja, Atlantic, Honda, IQT and JGC Group.
For more information, visit www.tozero.solutions.
Media Contact
Toni Hofbauer
[email protected]
Investor Relations
Dr. Ksenija Neumann
[email protected]
+4915117503166
Contact Info:
Name: Toni Hofbauer
Email: Send Email
Organization: tozero GmbH
Website: https://www.tozero.solutions/
Release ID: 89208616
Should any errors, concerns, or inconsistencies arise from the content provided in this press release that require attention or if a press release needs to be taken down, we kindly request that you immediately contact us at [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our efficient team will be at your disposal for timely assistance within 8 hours – taking necessary measures to rectify identified issues or providing guidance on the removal process. We prioritize delivering accurate and reliable information.
