Lead and lithium battery producer Exide Technologies has hailed key milestones achieved in emissions reduction and recycling in its newly released sustainability report.

The European battery major unveiled its ESG Report for 2026 on July 20 — just weeks after the company was re-awarded a gold award from global business sustainably rating provider, EcoVadis.

In its latest report, Exide said it was “turning ambition into action”, highlighting improved carbon disclosure project (CDP) scores for both climate change and water security — advancing from ‘C’ (understanding of environmental impacts) to ‘B’ (measuring, disclosing and acting on issues to boost transparency, sustainability and risk management).

The company also reported a 21% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions compared with fiscal 2022 and said it remained committed to an interim target of reducing those emissions by 30% by the end of 2030.

Meanwhile, there has been an increase in the share of recycled or recovered materials used in production from 74% to 77%, plus further investments in renewable energy projects.

The company’s automotive division develops and manufactures advanced 12V battery solutions for internal combustion engines, hybrid vehicles and EVs. The portfolio includes advanced lead acid technologies such as EFB, AGM, and Gel, as well as lithium ion batteries supporting applications ranging from cars and commercial vehicles to motorcycles and boats.

Exide has three advanced lead acid recycling facilities in Europe, with valuable raw materials remaining in continuous use, significantly reducing the demand for virgin resources, the firm said.

All of Exide’s lead acid battery and recycling plants operate in compliance with legal limits for lead emissions into air and water. While not all facilities are currently subject to regulatory limits for sulfate emissions into water bodies, the company said it recognises the environmental significance of both lead and sulfate emissions.

Energy consumption has increased over the reporting period, which Exide said has been driven by operational factors including a 2% increase in technical lead output and expanded recycling activities — particularly higher throughput in breaker operations.

Further electrification of selected lead pots in certain plants also led to increased electricity consumption.

However, Exide said it is closely tracking energy consumption as part of its ‘energy excellence program’ and looking to further increase the use of renewable energy.

President and CEO Stefan Stübing said: “Over the past year, our focus has shifted from defining our sustainability framework to executing it in practice.

“We have made tangible progress in integrating sustainability into our core business processes, including risk management, supply chain due diligence, and performance monitoring, supported by strengthened governance and data systems.”