Lead in the blood

Christiane Weihe

The lead smelting furnaces operated illegally. The soil was heavily contaminated with lead. Fires often broke out at the site. Local residents filed complaints about bodily harm and severe environmental pollution. That was in the mid-1980s – at a battery factory with the innocuous and hence highly misleading name “Sonnenschein”, meaning “sunshine”, in the heart of Berlin. Anyone who handles lead-acid batteries bears a heavy responsibility – and failure to fulfil it can cause serious health and environmental problems, as became apparent more than 40 years ago in Berlin’s Mariendorf district and is evident in Nigeria’s recycling industry today.

Lead-acid batteries are used in cars, off-grid solar applications and backup power systems. “Safe, high-quality recycling of these batteries is already possible these days and can effectively recover up to 97 per cent of the raw materials,” says Frederick Adjei from the Oeko-Institut. “Unfortunately, in Nigeria, recycling of these batteries often takes place in dangerous and unsafe conditions, exposing workers and neighbouring communities to toxic lead dust, while liquid effluent is discharged unfiltered. This can have serious impacts on health, including irreversible nerve damage and developmental delays in children.” So why are elevated lead levels in soil and a poisoned population considered acceptable? “For the operators, it’s mainly about profit maximisation. There is also a lack of robust standards and enforcement by the competent authorities.”

Nigeria is the largest economy on the African continent. It has one of the largest lead-acid battery recycling industries, as well as the highest volume of used batteries. At least 10 facilities recycle lead-acid batteries on an industrial scale. “A substantial proportion of the secondary raw materials recovered in this way is exported – including to Europe. That’s not something we can simply ignore,” says Frederick Adjei, a researcher in the Oeko-Institut’s Sustainable Products and Material Flows Division. “Unlike the situation in many other segments of the waste management industry, it is possible to make money here.” However, competitive pressure means that very few operators act responsibly, with many aiming for profit maximisation – and this often seems to be at odds with protection of health and the environment. “In Nigeria, the circular economy plays an increasingly significant role, with substantial investment in some cases. But when systematic pollution and cases of poisoning came to light a few years ago, the authorities reacted: they set a target for battery recycling to be improved in line with international standards.”

Shared responsibility

So how can responsible recycling of batteries and metals be established in Nigeria and, indeed, in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa? This question is explored by the Partnership for Responsible Battery and Metal Recycling (ProBaMet) project, which is funded by GIZ’s Initiative for Global Solidarity (IGS) until May 2025. “ProBaMet is a practical project which pursues a cooperative approach. We are working with numerous partners from Nigerian civil society and industry, the Nigerian Federal Ministry for Environment and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency,” says Frederick Adjei. “It looks at how minimum standards can be established and enforced in recycling, thus protecting human communities and reducing environmental impacts. But it is also about establishing sustainable business models and creating high-value jobs in industry.” This recognises that there is substantial demand for secondary raw materials, increasingly linked to whether compliance with minimum standards can be achieved. High-quality processes can thus deliver economic benefits. The project simultaneously involves the Nigerian solar industry: with the growth of a decentralised photovoltaics-based electricity supply, this industry needs sustainable solutions for end-of-life batteries.

The project team assists businesses and public authorities to introduce health, environmental and safety standards. It shares knowledge on environmental performance and workplace safety, delivers training with plant managers at the local level, and assists public authorities to adopt, monitor and enforce binding standards. “Knowledge transfer is a key element of the project: together with our partners, we build an understanding of the overall context, as well as sharing very practical everyday know-how.” In April 2024, the researchers visited Nigeria and ran workshops with various stakeholders. “One of the aims was to provide information about current German and EU legislation, with a focus on supply chains.” In addition, they visited six recycling plants in and around Ogun in south-west Nigeria. At five of these plants, major technical and operational weaknesses were identified that inevitably cause the release of lead dust into the workplace and the environment. “At these plants, there were no protective measures in place for the storage of the often already damaged batteries. What’s more, dismantling was performed using very basic methods, directly exposing workers to lead and acid,” Frederick Adjei explains. “There was also a lack of effective dust control systems on the factory floor.” There was only one plant where the experts encountered much better conditions, including automated battery breaking and better handling overall. “But even here, there is still room for improvement – as regards protective clothing, for example.“

At one of the plants, blood tests performed on workers revealed that they had greatly elevated lead levels. “The other plants don’t do any blood testing at all, which violates the fundamental principles of good practice in this branch of industry.” Alongside the enforcement of more robust standards in general, special safeguards and support must be provided for frontrunners in particular; otherwise, their chances of surviving the price competition in this sector are minimal, says Frederick Adjei. And in his view, company liability is also required, along with the possibility to sue for damages. “Companies will only take consistent action on protective measures once this becomes less expensive than paying for any damage that has been caused.” However, the responsibility lies not only with the recycling companies, but also with manufacturers. “Anyone who earns money from a product should also ensure – in line with the principle of extended producer responsibility – that it is properly recycled.”

A justice issue

The waste industry in countries of the Global South – as elsewhere – is a source of raw materials, a sector that plays a key role for urban mining. But it is, simultaneously, much more than that. “The people who produce the least amount of waste here are the ones who suffer most as a result of poor management – as regards their health and their quality of life overall. Waste is therefore a justice issue as well.” A functioning waste management industry is never just a source of raw materials, however; it is also a key service for society. “It’s essential to think holistically about this sector. The revenue from sales of raw materials will not be sufficient, on its own, to get a grip on the waste problems in developing countries and emerging economies. Additional sources of funding are needed to provide targeted compensation for the costs of maintaining a clean environment. Product manufacturers and importers have a key role to play here, but in most African countries, they are rarely held accountable at present.”

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Frederick Adjei graduated in Materials Engineering, Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management, and Business Administration. After completing his studies, he was employed by GIZ Ghana and Bochum University of Applied Sciences, among others. In 2023, he joined the Oeko-Institut, where his areas of research include social and environmental standards in global supply chains, and global material cycles.