August 22, 2025: Around 90% of lead used by East Penn Manufacturing last year came from recycled sources, according to the battery giant’s 2024 Sustainability Report.
The report*, released on August 18, revealed that the lead smelter at the company’s Lyon Station in Pennsylvania recycled 188 million pounds of lead from batteries that were collected from customers, as well as non-conforming material from its battery manufacturing plants.
In addition, transportation batteries produced by East Penn comprised nearly 100% of recycled material — a figure validated by UL Solutions — the report said.
In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, East Penn said it had achieved a 7% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from 2021 thanks to projects including continued optimization of plate curing and automated plate formation processes.
Since improvement processes began four years ago, they have combined to save a total of 64,650 MWh and cut over 17,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO₂e), the report said.
At Lyon alone, East Penn uses about 600 million kWh of electricity annually, accounting for more than 80% of energy use across the business.
However, under the US Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program, the firm has committed to a 20% reduction in energy use per unit of production by 2028 against a 2018 baseline.
As of 2024, East Penn has seen a reduction of about 7,500 MWh, equating to a near 8% decrease from 2018.
Last year also marked the first 12-month period that the Lyon campus was able to use electricity from a new nearby solar farm. Over the year, the solar farm generated over 26,000 MWh of solar renewable energy, which East Penn said was equivalent to more than 4% of the site’s electricity consumption.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters were installed at Lyon more than 25 years ago. Today, the state-of-the-art secondary HEPA filtration units in use are 99.997% efficient at 0.3 microns.
These systems produce air quality that is cleaner than that found in the surrounding atmosphere, according to the report.
East Penn said it has also maintained HEPA filters at its Iowa facility since shortly after its opening in 2006, “recording lead emissions below the highly stringent 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead of 0.15 micrograms per cubic metre”.
Outgoing president and CEO Chris Pruitt said: “As the energy industry continues to evolve, our incredible people are key to our success. Their dedication and innovation help us drive meaningful progress, reduce our environmental impact, and build a more sustainable world for future generations.”
*The full report is available online.
