How Samsung Electronics is Boosting Battery Cobalt Recycling

As consumers continue to focus on sustainability, essential minerals like cobalt and lithium play crucial roles in the evolution of electric vehicles (EVs), clean energy and digital technologies.

However, the extraction of these minerals often involves challenging ethical and environmental factors.

Ensuring responsible sourcing and traceability is crucial to advance the low-carbon transition.

By doing so, energy companies can meet ESG objectives while minimising reputational risks.

Samsung Electronics has embarked on an innovative project by initiating a circular battery supply chain, aimed at recycling cobalt from manufacturing scraps in Vietnam.

This initiative addresses the heavy annual waste of approximately 200 tonnes of discarded battery material produced by Samsung's facilities in the region.

The Galaxy S24 was the inaugural device to utilise recycled cobalt. 

In the new Galaxy S25 smartphone, cobalt is recovered from scrap material during battery manufacturing and reintroduced into new batteries.

This will help to minimise dependence on newly mined resources. 

Youngmin Kim, from the Circular Economy Lab in the Global Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Office at Samsung, explains: “Samsung’s Vietnam facilities are among those that generate the highest volume of waste batteries, including defective units from the manufacturing process and batteries recovered from a factory that repairs Galaxy phones traded in from the United States.

“Our goal was to create a system that would allow us to recycle these resources and reintegrate them into our products.”

The importance of cobalt

Cobalt is vital in lithium-ion batteries as it enhances energy density and stabilises performance.

This mineral ensures optimal battery functionality by aiding electron transfer in lithium batteries.

Particularly in energy storage systems, EVs and mobile devices, cobalt prevents overheating, maintaining system efficiency.

However, the primary source of cobalt — the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — presents significant challenges.

Its mining not only contributes to environmental degradation but also raises ethical issues, including human rights violations and unsafe working conditions.

Samsung Electronics' circular supply chain addresses these concerns by advancing a closed-loop recycling system for cobalt, reducing environmental impacts and promoting ethically sourced materials.

Sangcheul Lee, from the Battery Group in the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, says: “Cobalt does not degrade with battery use, meaning it can theoretically be recycled indefinitely.

“Recycled cobalt and newly mined cobalt are virtually identical — so much so that the difference is indistinguishable in the manufacturing process.”

Supply chain sustainability

Samsung's recycling initiative is a core component of its broader circularity vision, aiming to significantly use recycled plastics in its products by 2030.

In one year alone, Samsung managed to recycle a significant amount of e-waste, contributing to its sustainability goals.

By enhancing the circular battery supply chain, Samsung aims to reduce reliance on virgin materials, supporting energy technology's shift towards sustainability and lowering carbon footprints.

Youngmin continues: “The key to extracting high-purity cobalt lies in technology. 

"Through our Circular Battery Supply Chain, we have successfully recovered and utilised over 90% of the cobalt from the discarded batteries that have been collected.”

Samsung sets new standard

Samsung Electronics' circular battery supply chain will set a new standard for how manufacturers can embrace material sourcing.

The company is helping boost the use of closed-loop systems by showcasing how high-performance batteries can utilise recycled cobalt without reducing quality.

This initiative will meet growing ESG pressures by effectively balancing ethics, performance and emissions reduction, while catalysing greater innovation in sustainable material recovery.

Youngmin adds: “With the Galaxy S25, we’ve also reached another significant milestone in resource circularity — wafer trays discarded after semiconductor manufacturing have been repurposed into a plastic used in the side and volume keys.

“We are working on various projects to expand resource circularity across other product lines as well and we hope our users will continue to join us on our journey.”

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