Lithion Recycling Enters a Partnership with IS Dongseo Company for an Exclusive License of its Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Technology in South Korea

MONTREAL–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lithion Recycling, Inc. (“Lithion”) is proud to announce it has reached an agreement with IS Dongseo Company Ltd (“ISD”), a Korea-based leading ESG company with an environmental business segment, for an exclusive business right for the use of its lithium-ion battery recycling technology on the Korean market.

This partnership is the first of a series that Lithion aims to conclude in upcoming years for the use of its cutting-edge, eco-friendly technology on world markets. It will allow ISD to offer an environmentally friendly and cost-effective recycling solution to close the loop on battery materials in Korea. IS Dongseo plans to start building its first Korean facility capable of processing about 7,500 tons of waste batteries per year (or the equivalent of approximately 20,000 electric car batteries), this year. This first phase will be followed by a second one, with the construction of a hydrometallurgy plant based on Lithion’s technology, allowing ISD to supply over 15,000 tons of battery-grade materials per year.

“We are extremely proud to announce our first strategic partnership and licensing agreement with such a strong partner as IS Dongseo, an experienced battery recycling plant operator firmly rooted in the Korean market. This exclusive agreement confirms the high potential of the technology and the business model we have been developing over the years and will enable the use of our “Spoke” and “Hub” technologies on a major market for the lithium-ion battery sector. Our licensing strategy will ensure a rapid deployment of our technology globally since we are leveraging local and regional forces rather than developing and operating all plants by ourselves. This is a very exciting milestone in our quest for providing sustainable, cost-effective and locally-adapted solutions for recycling lithium-ion batteries around the globe.”

– Benoit Couture, President and CEO of Lithion Recycling, Inc.

“Recognizing that Lithion has the best battery recycling technology and following a thorough technology diligence, we are delighted to partner with them to secure full competitiveness in the battery and battery waste recycling. Korea is home base to many important and dynamic actors in the lithium-ion battery and battery materials supply chain. As these companies are rapidly expanding in Asia, in the United States and in Europe, our partnership with Lithion opens up tremendous global growth opportunities for both of us.”

– Jeon, Hyung Joon, Battery Recycle Business Director of IS Dongseo Company Ltd

The need for lithium-ion battery recycling is growing exponentially and Lithion’s commercial plants have scalable capacities to adapt to market size. Because the volume of batteries at the end of their life is spread worldwide, Lithion is planning large-scale international deployment, which will be achieved by granting licenses to strategic operating partners. The goal is to commission over 25 battery recycling plants based on Lithion’s technology in the next 15 years in cities and jurisdictions where the need is most urgent.

This is the second major announcement for Lithion in two days. On January 24, the company announced it has reached financial close on a significant first tranche of a Series A financing for up to $125 million that will be invested in the construction of its first lithium-ion battery recycling plant and a state-of-the-art Technology Development Center in Quebec, Canada as well as bringing its hydrometallurgy technology plant to breaking ground.

About Lithion Recycling, Inc.

Lithion has developed an efficient and cost-effective process to recover strategic materials from end-of-life and product waste of lithium-ion batteries. Lithion’s process allows up to 95% of battery components to be recovered and treated so that they can be reused by battery manufacturers, enabling to close the lifecycle in batteries. This technology accelerates the transition to green energy and helps meet decarbonization targets by reducing pressure on natural resource extraction. This year, Lithion launches its first commercial recycling operations, drawing on data from a highly successful Quebec industrial-scale demonstration plant commissioned in January 2020. Its goal is worldwide deployment, through licensing agreements, with a target of 20 recycling plants on a world scale. For more information, please visit: https://www.lithionrecycling.com/

About IS Dongseo Company Ltd

Established in 1975, IS Dongseo has been a leading construction group in South Korea. Over 1,000 employees and executives in the construction and manufacturing divisions are maximizing the synergy by the deployment of cutting-edge technology and the cooperative initiatives in each field. IS Dongseo is expanding in the global market by diversifying its business through entry into environment business, maritime transport and other sectors. Aligned with industry leading affiliates like Insun and KR energy and others, IS Dongseo is expanding its business territory into recycling business dealing with ESG issues. For more information, please visit: http://isdongseo.co.kr/en/

Contacts

Dominik Boudreault Lapierre, dlapierre@casacom.ca, 514 386-7557