How Willard Batteries Is Driving Sustainability Through Battery Recycling
Willard Batteries is a pioneer in environmental messaging, encouraging its clients to return their old units for recycling as early as the 1980s. It was also during this time that Willard Batteries changed its colours from red to green and adopted a new slogan, “Go green. Go Willard.”
However, it was an industry scheme that truly initiated the recycling revolution.
Recycling Deposit System
South Africa has relied on the industry-managed scrap deposit system for decades. A deposit is included in the price of every new lead-acid battery sold. That deposit is usually returned on receipt of the scrap battery.
This system has enabled Willard to recycle almost all of its batteries; collection rates for used lead-acid batteries in South Africa exceed 90%, effectively diverting them from landfills.
When these batteries are being recycled, up to 98% of their components (lead, plastic, sulfuric acid) are reclaimed in the industry’s closed-loop system.
How Are the Batteries Recycled?
Every battery is dismantled, and its components are separated. A normal car battery contains between 8 and 9 kg of lead and approximately 5 kg of sulfuric acid.
The recycling process starts when the batteries are dropped off at the recycling center and are fed into a machine that shreds them into small pieces.
To separate the shredded components, the factory employs a technique called hydro and dense medium separation, which, in layman’s terms, involves placing the shredded pieces into a water tank.
Heavier components, such as the lead, sink to the bottom, while the plastic and paste float to the top. The separated plastic is cleaned and melted into pellets that can be used to recreate the plastic container.
The lead and paste is melted down in a furnace and poured into moulds to form ingots that are used to manufacture new battery plates and terminals.
The acid is neutralised with a chemical and the product converted into sodium sulfate, which is used in detergents, glass, and textiles.
Having this recycling system in place means Willard’s batteries are part of a circular economy, which conserves resources and protects the environment as a whole.
Additionally, reusing the lead in batteries means there’s no need to import lead, which isn’t available or mined in South Africa.
Lastly, this recycling programme supports our local economy by creating jobs across the collection, processing, and distribution stages.
Empowering More Communities and Causes
While Willard has ensured its product is environmentally friendly, the brand has also collaborated with numerous charities and causes.
In Buhle Park, Gauteng, Willard and FTFA planted 750 fruit trees that now serve homes, schools, and the wider community, helping to reduce the heat island effect, improve air quality, and support food security. Over 270 tonnes of CO₂ are expected to be absorbed by these trees over several years.
Another campaign that Willard took part in was when the company sold blue batteries to help fund work done by the environmental organization The Beach Co‑Op (and Captain Fanplastic).
Willard also organized beach clean-up events in the Western Cape and Nelson Mandela Bay. These actions complemented their launch of the blue battery and reinforced their message through hands-on environmental engagement.
Other times, the company changed the colour of their batteries, including the following:
- Pink Battery — Breast Cancer Awareness
This was an awareness campaign aimed at supporting breast cancer. This limited edition connected their brand to women’s health and community engagement.
- Rhino Battery — Wildlife Protection
The camouflage-coloured Rhino Battery was designed to support conservation and anti-poaching efforts, with a particular focus on South Africa’s rhino populations. - Red Battery — Blood Donation Campaign
In partnership with the South African National Blood Service, this edition encouraged vital blood donations, linking their brand impact to lifesaving community support. - DREAM Battery — Partnering with Reach for a Dream
Designed to spark hope and uplift children with life-threatening illnesses, this edition emphasised Willard’s compassion-driven initiatives.
Willard Batteries is a company that aims to demonstrate to every South African that by adhering to the best environmental industrial practices and aligning with ecological ethics, they can make a positive impact.
Through innovative recycling, resource stewardship, and community initiatives such as tree planting, we aim to educate others on how to protect the environment and support local communities.