On 26 Aug, 09:26, stuart noble wrote:

One wonders whether the switch costs more than the savings in raw materials.

If your volume is big enough, then it does. The main difference (for
alkaline batteries at least) is material purity. The good stuff needs
an extra refining step, then you make the cells out of it in exactly
the same way.

The Canadian patents on rechargeable alkalines are interesting reading.