Quite unsurprisingly, demand for batteries is expected to increase 30% each year until 2030.

A greater need for batteries to power more electric vehicles means increased demand for metals like lithium, a finite resource whose extraction has raised ecological and human rights issues. 

Lithium mining takes a heavy toll - trees are often cut down to make room for mines, chemicals used in the process can poison waterways, and meanwhile, millions of tonnes of batteries are expected to be decommissioned over the coming decades, creating hazardous waste.

But have you ever thought about how sustainable your batteries are? 

On this episode of Climate Connections, Justin Hung, CEO & Co-Founder of GRST (which stands for Green, Renewable, Sustainable Technology) and 2023 Earthshot Prize winner shares about the cleaner process he developed to make batteries that pollutes less and uses components that can be more easily recycled.

The eco-friendly lithium batteries technology start-up aims to raise US$50 million over the next two years.

Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar

Photo credits: Earthshot Prize

Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors