SK Tes Lithium-ion and EV Battery Recycling

SK Tes was founded as TES-AMM in Singapore in 2005, was acquired by SK ecoplant in 2022 and rebranded as SK Tes in 2024. It provides technology lifecycle services and lithium-ion battery recycling through about 40 owned facilities in more than 20 countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Its battery service covers packaging, collection, cross-border transport under Basel Convention permits, registration and discharge of EV and IT batteries, then auto-punching and shredding into black mass. A chemical refining step recovers lithium carbonate, cobalt hydroxide and sodium sulfate, with graphite, copper and aluminium fractions, through a full chain of custody. Customers include automotive and electronics OEMs.

• Global logistics: packaging, collection, storage and consolidation of lithium-ion batteries across regions.
• Compliance handling: notifications, licences and export confirmations for transboundary battery movements.
• Safe intake: batteries are registered, photographed and discharged on arrival.
• Black mass production: auto-punching machines and shredders break batteries into black mass.
• Chemical refining: recovery of lithium carbonate, cobalt hydroxide and by-products.
• Audit trail: full chain of custody for every battery processed.

EV and electric motorbike makers in Vietnam can outsource warranty returns and end-of-life packs. Electronics factories can route production scrap batteries to certified recycling. Fleet and battery-swap operators can set up regular collection of retired packs.

Battery owners hand off collection, hazardous goods transport and permits to one provider with owned sites in many countries. Recovered nickel, lithium and cobalt return value to the customer and the supply chain. Full chain of custody and audit trails support EPR and sustainability reporting.

Vietnam's EPR rules cover batteries and the country is adding electric motorbikes, cars and buses quickly, so automakers, importers and electronics plants will need compliant routes for spent lithium-ion batteries. Recovered lithium, nickel and cobalt are also gaining value as Southeast Asia builds battery and EV supply chains.

Founded in 2005 in Singapore as TES-AMM, acquired by SK ecoplant in 2022 and renamed SK Tes in 2024. Opened battery recycling operations TES B in Singapore and Recupyl in Grenoble in 2019 and invested in GenPlus in 2020. Awards include the Edison Award, SEAL Business Sustainability Award and Green World Award. Vietnam entity: TES-AMM (Vietnam) Company Limited, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.