Annual General Meeting 2026

GBA Annual General Meeting 2026

8-9 December 2026 | Berlin, Germany

Theme: From Blueprint to Practice: Scaling Sustainable Battery Value Chains

The Global Battery Alliance is pleased to welcome GBA members and invited guests to the GBA Annual General Meeting 2026, proudly co-hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Pre-registration is now open. Advance registration is required, and participation is subject to the GBA admissions policy and venue capacity.

Express your interest in attending the GBA Annual General Meeting 2026 by completing the pre-registration form.

The AGM will bring together the GBA community to discuss key priorities, progress across our work and opportunities for collaboration through plenary discussions, interactive sessions and networking opportunities.

Optional Activities and Networking Opportunities

• 8 & 9 December | Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg: An optional site visit hosted by GBA member Tesla, offering participants the opportunity to experience the vehicle production line first-hand.
• 8 December | Networking Reception: An evening reception providing opportunities to connect and engage with fellow participants.
• 9 December | German Bundestag: An optional policy dialogue and visit to the German Bundestag are being planned for the afternoon, subject to confirmation.

Participation in the optional site visits is subject to availability and confirmation.

EXPLORE THE PROGRAMME 

The 2025 AGM featured speakers including:

• Jessika Roswall, Commissioner, European Commission
• Crusivia Chilobe Hichikumba, Permanent Secretary for Investment and Industrialisation, Government of the Republic of Zambia
• Lucie Sestakova, Head of Cabinet for Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission
• Karena Cancelleri, Executive Vice President Battery Cathode Materials, Umicore
• Richard Liang, Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, Sunwoda
• Hans Eric Melin, Managing Director, Circular Energy Storage

Joint Events & Webinars

Meet GBA Here

If you would like to arrange a meeting with the Secretariat on the sidelines of any of these events, please get in touch with us at secretariat@globalbattery.org

8–9 October | EITI Global Conference | Brussels, Belgium

The GBA Secretariat will be participating in the EITI Global Conference in Brussels, bringing together stakeholders from government, industry and civil society to advance transparency and responsible governance of natural resources.

12–14 October | IGF | Geneva, Switzerland

Meet the GBA Secretariat at IGF AGM 2026 in Geneva, where stakeholders will come together to discuss key issues and opportunities related to responsible and sustainable mineral resource governance.

5–6 November | International Cooperation on Trade and the Green Transition, 9th China International Import Expo | Shanghai, China

The GBA Secretariat will be participating in discussions on international cooperation, trade and the green transition during the 9th China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

24–25 November | Future Battery Forum | Berlin, Germany

Meet the GBA Secretariat at the Future Battery Forum in Berlin, bringing together stakeholders from across the battery value chain to discuss the future of the European and global battery industry.

Working Groups at GBA

Working Groups at the Global Battery Alliance

The GBA convenes experts from across the battery value chain through dedicated Working Groups. These groups are where technical collaboration translates into practical tools, pilots, and alignment with global standards and regulations. With the exception of the Standard Setter Working Group, participation in Working Groups is reserved for GBA members. The overview below highlights the scope of work currently underway.

Battery Passport Working Groups

These Working Groups support the development and implementation of the GBA Battery Passport, addressing sustainability benchmarking, data exchange, assurance, and real-world testing.

• Benchmarks - development of the Battery Benchmarks: benchmarking of sustainability standards, responsible business practices, and alignment with regulatory frameworks.
• Data Exchange - interoperability, digital protocols, and chain-of-custody models for trusted data sharing.
• Assurance & Credibility - development of a Conformity Assessment Scheme to underpin trust in the Battery Passport through 3rd party assurance.
• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) - development of greenhouse gas accounting rules aligned with evolving regulatory requirements.

For partner standard setter organisations, by invitation (please contact secretariat@globalbattery.org with expressions of interest to join):

• Standard Setter Working Group - recognition and alignment of voluntary sustainability standards in the GBA Battery Passport programme.

Circularity & Critical Minerals Advisory Group (CCMAG)

The CCMAG  serves as a pre-competitive dialogue platform offering strategic insight on circularity, critical minerals, and other key battery-related issues. It places particular emphasis on upstream value-chain perspectives, including those of mineral-producing countries, and explores emerging frontiers of circular economy practices in battery value chains. Through this engagement, the CCMAG ensures that GBA initiatives are grounded in real-world industry and policy conditions, global diversity, and the development priorities of governments and stakeholders.

Engagement through Membership

Working Group participation is a core benefit of GBA membership, enabling organisations to contribute expertise, shape global approaches, and collaborate on implementation.

Past Events

GBA Townhall meeting

The Global Battery Alliance only hosts meetings for its members, you ask? Not quite! On 21 April 2026, we will host a Townhall meeting for members and interested stakeholders. During the meeting, we will:

• Share a progress update about our work on the Battery Passport, the ongoing operational trials, and the Circularity and Critical Minerals Advisory Group
• Share an overview of upcoming engagement opportunities, including our ongoing nomination process for the GBA Board of Directors and the Steering Committees for confirmation during a virtual AGM in June (Governance roles are open to members only) - join us to find out more.
• A Q&A session with the Secretariat team

The 2025 GBA Annual General Meeting took place on 9-10 December in Brussels

The 2025 AGM, themed “Powering Growth: Enabling Global Markets and Trust in a Rapidly Evolving Battery Ecosystem” included plenary and breakout sessions across three key tracks:

• Policy & Regulation: Focusing on harmonising global regulatory frameworks and addressing
  trade and policy challenges impacting battery markets.
• Finance & Markets: Exploring financing mechanisms, building investment confidence, and
  transparency tools that unlock capital flows in battery markets.
• Value Chains & Circularity: Concentrating on operationalising responsible sourcing, circular
  economy principles, and ESG integration to strengthen battery value chains.

Speakers included:

• Jessika Roswall, Commissioner, European Commission 
• Crusivia Chilobe Hichikumba, Permanent Secretary for Investment and Industrialisation, Government of the Republic of Zambia
• Lucie Sestakova, Head of Cabinet for Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission
• Karena Cancelleri, Executive Vice President Battery Cathode Materials, Umicore
• Richard Liang, Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, Sunwoda
• Hans Eric Melin, Managing Director, Circular Energy Storage 

Public Consultation of the Battery Benchmarks ended on 5 December 2025

The Battery Benchmarks published in September 2025 represent the first definitive set of global metrics to assess a battery's sustainability performance for procurers, investors, and purchasers of battery products, as well as regulators and policymakers.

The Beta Release of the Battery Benchmarks reflects the views, expectations and consensus of GBA members and supporters, representing the full value chain of miners, manufacturers, automotive and battery manufacturers, recyclers, civil society, academia and international organisations. It is built upon international frameworks, regulations and voluntary sustainability standards.

To further improve the Battery Benchmarks, the Global Battery Alliance is pleased to invite stakeholders to provide feedback, comments, questions and suggestions via the public consultation.

This first round of consultation ended on 5 December 2025. A feedback report is available here.  A second round of consultation will take place in 2026 ahead of the publication of the final version of the Battery Passport Benchmarking Framework, against which the GBA will certify batteries for their sustainability from 2027.

The GBA hosted two public webinars in October and November 2025 to present the Battery Benchmarks and respond to questions related to them and the consultation.

• Please view the recording of the public webinar here. 

The consultation documents can be accessed here:

• The Battery Benchmarks - Beta Release - September 2025
• Greenhouse Gas Rulebook - v2.1 - September 2025
• Unofficial translations are available in Chinese, French, and Spanish

Please contact secretariat@globalbattery.org if you have any questions. 

On 25 September 2026 the GBA launched the Battery Benchmarks and a new partnership with the International Trade Centre

Coinciding with New York Climate Week, the GBA launched the GBA Battery Benchmarks, which:

✅Represent the first definitive set of global metrics to assess a battery's sustainability performance for procurers, investors, and purchasers of battery products

✅ Reflect the views, expectations and consensus not of a single industry but the full value chain of miners, manufacturers, OEMs, recyclers, NGOs, academia and international organisations

✅ Are anchored in international regulations, frameworks and standards to reduce complexity and create comparability for battery products whilst preparing companies to respond to regulatory requirements

✅ Include robust data assurance rules to avoid non-credible, competing sustainability claims and ensure GBA certification is authoritative and trusted

✅ Will help accelerate the scaling of responsible and circular battery value chains 

Consultation on the Global Battery Alliance's Battery Passport Indigenous Peoples' rights rulebook

The Global Battery Alliance had the honour of convening organisations representing Indigenous Peoples and Communities around the world, to take part in an online consultation meeting on the GBA's draft Battery Passport Indigenous Peoples rights rulebook on 23 and 24 October 2024.

The GBA’s principal tool for achieving its mission is the Battery Passport, a global framework of sustainability performance expectations that companies can follow to meet digital product passport requirements for transparency and traceability, and to distinguish their sustainability efforts on sustainability impacts of batteries across 22 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues salient for the battery value chain.

Among issues of priority for the GBA Battery Passport is the Respect for Indigenous Peoples' rights. Activities along battery value chain, from mining of raw materials to industrial production of batteries and their recycling, have impacts on Indigenous Peoples' and their lands. Unless managed responsibly and jointly with Indigenous communities, including following the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), these impacts could undermine the sustainability objectives of the energy transition. On the other hand, investments in batteries have the potential to bring about socio-economic opportunities for Indigenous communities.

In 2024, the GBA's Environmental, Social and Governance working group begun drafting a rulebook and a set of indicators on Respect for Indigenous Peoples' rights for the Battery Passport, drawing on performance expectations for companies along the battery value chain included in sustainability regulations, voluntary standards, and the GBA's multi-stakeholder working group deliberations. 

The draft rulebook, which is currently being revised into a streamlined structure along with the production of rulebooks on other topics, can be found here. You may access the recording here and materials here.