Leading multinationals and financial institutions have been ‘learning the lessons of lead’ at a sustainability and circular economy summit in the US.
The lead battery industry could be a circular economy model for other sectors to follow, Dr Carole Mars from The Sustainability Consortium (TSC), told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s 5th Annual Sustainability and Circular Economy Summit.
The director of technical development and innovation at the global non-profit organisation made the comments during the summit’s ‘data for good’ session.
Audience members included top executives from firms including Coca-Cola, the Walt Disney Company and the World Bank, as well as the country’s leading lead battery manufacturers.
TSC’s 2017 Impact Reportlisted lead batteries among the top five rated consumer products for sustainability— second only to toilet tissue.
Mars added: “Lead batteries close the loop more effectively than any other product in the consumer goods space. We’d like to leverage the lessons of this industry to help others reach the same type of performance for their end-of-life products.”
East Penn Manufacturing CEO and president Chris Pruitt told the session: “At our Berks County Pennsylvania facility, we recycle nearly 30,000 lead batteries every day, and the materials are reused to make new batteries over and over again.”
Pruitt said new products are created from recycled battery materials and recovered sulfuric acid. East Penn sells 25,000 tons of liquid fertiliser solution annually as raw material to fertiliser manufacturers.
Lead battery trade industry body Battery Council International (BCI), which also attended the summit, has launched Essential Energy Everyday— a joint initiative with the International Lead Association to increase awareness about the importance of lead batteries in powering our daily lives and future.