Tozero, founded in 2022 by CEO Sarah Fleischer and CTO Dr. Ksenija Milicevic Neumann, is Europe’s pioneer in sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling. Based in Munich, this innovative startup recovers critical raw materials from lithium-ion battery waste and reintegrates them into global supply chains.
As the first and only battery recycler in Europe successfully supplying customers with recycled lithium, tozero is addressing the critical bottleneck in the lithium supply chain. The company’s groundbreaking approach helps close Europe’s lithium supply gap and provides a local, sustainable resource for various industries. tozero’s recycling process achieves an estimated 70% reduction in emissions compared to conventional lithium mining. The company’s agnostic approach enables recycling of various battery types, producing high-purity recycled lithium for direct industrial use.
To date, tozero has raised €17 million in funding, including an €11 million seed round led by NordicNinja and a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC). Investors include In-Q-Tel, Honda, JGC Group, Atlantic Labs, Verve Ventures, and Possible Ventures, along with notable angel investors from the automotive and startup sectors. With its recent funding, tozero aims to build its first industrial deployment (FOAK) plant and scale commercial production of recycled lithium. The company plans to process 30,000 tonnes of battery waste annually by 2026.