On 9-10 September, the 31st International Congress for Battery Recycling (ICBR 2026) was held in Berlin. Finland had a strong presence at the event, demonstrating that many Finnish organisations are actively involved in the battery recycling sector. Participants included recycling service providers, technology companies, and producer responsibility organisations (PROs).
For Finnish Car Recycling and Vedia, this was the second consecutive year exhibiting at the congress with our own stand. Last year, Juha and I attended the event in Valencia, where we introduced the new electric vehicle (EV) battery reporting portal that was then being integrated into the DELV platform. This year in Berlin, we had the opportunity to showcase how the EV battery reporting portal has become a fully operational part of the DELV platform and how it helps PROs gain a comprehensive overview of recycling volumes, material flows, and future market developments.
It was encouraging to see that the DELV platform is attracting interest beyond Finland. Stakeholders in many countries are facing similar challenges at both operational and policy levels: how to monitor and control the market effectively and how to improve transparency throughout the recycling process. Fortunately, we were able to demonstrate that significant progress can be achieved through process development, close stakeholder collaboration, and the adoption of modern digital solutions.
During the congress, Juha and I also promoted the new EU-funded OIVA project, which was officially launched in summer 2026. The objective of the OIVA project is to streamline, digitalise, and harmonise regulatory reporting across Europe. One of the project’s work packages focuses specifically on end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and EV battery recycling. Finnish Car Recycling is leading this work package and strengthening collaboration between countries and stakeholders across the ELV value chain.
Given the strong Finnish participation at this year’s congress, discussions also emerged about the possibility of bringing the event to Finland in the future. It would be a great opportunity to demonstrate the Finnish approach to managing end-of-life vehicles and battery recycling, while showcasing the innovative solutions and cooperation models that have been developed over the years. So let’s see maybe after a few years we will see in Lapland 😊
– Lasse