Risks of Lithium-Ion Battery Facilities to Workers and Communities in Reno, Nevada: A Case Study Supporting Community Right-to-Know

Lithium-ion battery recycling is increasingly framed as a critical climate solution. However, without strong transparency and accountability standards, this emerging industry risks generating new environmental health harms even as it claims to address others. The concept of Community Right-to-Know highlights the importance of public access to environmental data collected by recycling facilities to ensure meaningful public participation in decision-making processes that affect local environments and communities.

This case study examines the environmental and health implications of lithium-ion battery recycling in Nevada’s rapidly expanding “Lithium Loop” and is designed not only to document current conditions but to equip communities, policymakers, and other stakeholders with the information and frameworks needed to strengthen transparency and accountability across the sector. This case study marks the launch of GAIA’s Community Right-to-Know Initiative for Battery Recycling, a multi-year effort to:

• Establish industry-wide transparency and accountability benchmarks among battery recyclers regarding transition mineral claims.
• Support frontline communities in accessing, interpreting, and acting on environmental data.
• Align battery supply chain stakeholders, policymakers, researchers, and advocates, in Nevada and throughout the US, around enforceable disclosure standards.

Without these safeguards, the economic and climate benefits of electrification risk posing environmental health burdens to local communities. Transparency, accountability, and meaningful participation are prerequisites for a just and sustainable battery supply chain.