KATHMANDU: India has banned the export of lithium-ion battery black mass with immediate effect from November 11, 2026. The move aims to strengthen domestic battery recycling and recover critical minerals, reducing the country’s dependence on imports.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has changed the export policy for lithium-ion battery black mass from ‘Free’ to ‘Prohibited’ until further notice.
Black mass is a powder-like material produced by shredding used lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing waste. It contains valuable minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, which can be recovered and reused.
These minerals are essential for electric vehicles, battery manufacturing and energy storage systems. India currently relies on imports for several of these critical materials.
The export ban is expected to support India’s domestic battery recycling industry and improve the availability of raw materials for local battery production.
However, effective enforcement will depend on customs checks to prevent exporters from misclassifying black mass under other industrial product categories to bypass the restriction.
