Graphite from Waste? Rethinking Supply Chains for a Critical Battery Material

Nearly every lithium-ion battery depends on graphite, yet global supply is highly concentrated and carries a heavy environmental footprint. As battery demand grows, a pressing question for industrial ecologists is whether carbon-rich waste streams, such as biomass residues and waste plastics, can become a meaningful, lower-impact source of this critical material. This session, which is part of International Industrial Ecology Day 2026, invites researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in critical materials, the circular economy, and clean-energy supply chains to explore that question from several angles. How much waste feedstock is available, and where? Which conversion technologies are emerging? How do they compare in terms of life-cycle environmental and economic performance? And which policies, including environmental justice considerations, will decide where waste-derived graphite facilities are located, and who benefits? Short talks drawing on material flow analysis, life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and policy analysis will set the stage for an open discussion. Join the conversation: What would it take to move waste-derived graphite from lab to market? What lessons carry over from other critical materials? We especially welcome perspectives from different regions, industries, and material systems. The 60-minute session opens with a 5-minute welcome and framing, followed by four 10-minute talks and a 15-minute open discussion: 1. Waste-to-Graphite: Where Are the Opportunities, and What Stands in the Way? Bingquan Zhang 2. Can Graphite from Biomass Compete on Cost and Environmental Impacts in the U.S.? Hannah Wang 3. How Much Could Waste PET Plastics Contribute to the Future Graphite Supply in the U.S.? Barbara Reck 4. What Policies Will Shape the Siting of Waste-Derived Graphite Facilities in the U.S.? Robert Klee Open Discussion (15 min) The session closes with an open conversation among speakers and participants. Questions, comments, and experiences from all attendees are warmly welcome. Speakers All speakers are from the Yale School of the Environment, Yale University. Dr. Yuan Yao (moderator), Professor; Director, Center for Industrial Ecology Dr. Bingquan Zhang, Postdoctoral Associate, Center for Industrial Ecology Ms. Hannah Wang, Ph.D. Student, Center for Industrial Ecology Dr. Barbara Reck, Senior Research Scientist, Center for Industrial Ecology Dr. Robert Klee, Senior Associate Dean for P