Press Releases
Brussels, November 7th, 2024
Ten consortia, led by the world’s leading battery cell manufacturers, successfully complete the largest pre-competitive effort to establish harmonised battery passports achieving a new milestone towards more transparent and sustainable battery value chains.
The pilots were coordinated by the Global Battery Alliance (GBA), the leading multi-stakeholder platform committed to scaling a responsible and circular battery value chain by 2030. Building on the successful battery passport proof of concept in 2023, the consortia worked with seven digital solution providers to determine provenance and flow of seven materials - lithium, graphite (artificial), aluminium, cobalt, copper, nickel, and iron phosphate.
Cell manufacturers representing over 80% of global electric vehicle battery market share mobilised their supply chains from mining companies to refiners, manufacturers and recyclers to participate in the pilots, including: Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), CALB Group Co. Ltd, Circularise, Circulor, FinDreams Battery, EVE Energy Co. Ltd, Glassdome, Gotion High-tech Co., Ltd., LG Energy Solution, Li Auto, Minviro, Minespider, Nanjing Fuchuang Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Co., Ltd., Samsung SDI Co., Ltd, SK tes, Shenzhen Dianlian Technology, Shenzhen Precise Testing Technology Co., Ltd., SQM, and Sunwoda Electronic Co., Ltd.
Building on existing regulations and voluntary standards, seven rulebooks were developed through a multistakeholder process by the GBA, covering: Greenhouse Gas emissions; Environmental and Human Rights Due Diligence; Forced Labour; Child Labour; Biodiversity; Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Circular Design. The rulebooks define baseline expectations and leading practices to help guide company efforts in addressing risks and sustainability impacts within their supply chains. Participating in the pilot allowed companies to benchmark their preparedness against the due diligence requirements of the EU Batteries Regulation, which will be implemented from 2025.
Over 200 sustainability reports were gathered, and five pilots participated for the first time in independent data verification, marking a major step towards establishing the GBA Battery Passport as a trusted source of sustainability indicators. The GBA also trialled a system to score company efforts with the aim to issue a product level sustainability certification in the future. Leveraging digital product passports for data collection, aggregation, scoring and verification, the GBA Battery Passport provides companies with globally harmonised expectations for reporting, guidance for continuous improvement, and recognises efforts beyond compliance. This allows investment, procurement and purchasing decisions to apply globally comparable metrics on battery value chain sustainability. In the future, the GBA Battery Passports will yield comparable data across 20+ environmental, social and governance categories in a trusted format.
Commenting on the launch, Inga Petersen, Executive Director of the GBA said: ‘We are thrilled with the results of the 2024 Battery Passport pilots and congratulate all participating organisations for this major achievement. Having the world’s leading cell manufacturers mobilize their supply chains, work pre-competitively and report on harmonised sustainability expectations represents an unprecedented commitment to greater transparency and sustainability in the battery industry as captured in the 2030 GBA Vision.’
“CATL is committed to driving sustainability and circularity in the battery industry. Through our participation in the Battery Passport initiative and our active engagement in the GBA, we are proud to be part of a collaborative effort to shape a more sustainable future.” Ziyu Liu, Deputy Director of Government Affairs at CATL, Board Member of GBA
“Batteries are an essential part of clean energy transition, and battery passport is a tool that can help decision making of end-users in a way that promotes sustainable and circular economy. Building on experiences from two rounds of the GBA Battery Passport Pilot, LG Energy Solution will continue to work for greater transparency and traceability, paving the way to a sustainable battery ecosystem.” Dongwook Chun, Vice President, Global External Relations and ESG Department of LG Energy Solution, Board member of the GBA.
"Battery passports are a vital component of ensuring transparency in the battery value chain. At SQM, we are committed to this initiative and are proud to participate in the latest pilot. As one of the world's leading lithium producers and in line with our vision to be the most sustainable lithium producer in the world, we see the value that greater traceability provides to the industry, giving peace of mind to manufacturers and consumers alike", Ricardo Ramos, CEO of SQM.
“GBA's Battery Passport Pilot Project is highly advanced and creative, pointing the way to transparency and sustainability in the battery value chain. With the vision of becoming a respected world-class new energy enterprise, SUNWODA is honoured to participate in the GBA Battery Passport Project..We adhere to the principles of deeply understanding compliance trends, totally meeting customer demands and superiorly fulfilling social responsibilities. We aim to collaborate with all partners to develop an efficient, comprehensive, and leading battery passport solution, so as to empower the sustainable development of the global battery industry.” Richard Liang, Vice President / Chief Sustainability Officer of Sunwoda Electronic Co., Ltd.
Commenting on the launch, Dr. Huiyong Xu, CEO of Shenzhen Precise Testing Technology Co., Ltd. Said: ” It is our great honour to join the pilot and experience one of the most visionary sustainability practice in the global battery industry. The ESG score system designed by GBA is a comprehensive and advanced tool for different stakeholders to evaluate and compare ESG performance of different companies in the battery value chain. It can apply to other industries too. We are happy to share our experience gained through the pilot to our customers and other stakeholders in China. We believe GBA’s ESG score system will have perpetual and profound impact to the industry and the world.”
“Dianlian Technology is deeply honored to participate in the Global Battery Alliance’s Battery Passport Pilot Project. This collaboration presents a unique opportunity to advance transparency throughout the entire battery value chain—from raw material sourcing to product recycling—enabling precise tracking of each battery’s environmental and social footprint. With a strong commitment to developing robust blockchain solutions, Dianlian Technology enables comprehensive lifecycle data traceability and management, ensuring regulatory compliance and supporting Sunwoda’s Battery Passport platform in meeting EU standards. The GBA pilot underscores our dedication to sustainability and supply chain accountability, establishing a solid foundation for responsible global business practices.” – Lai Jianpeng, Chief Marketing Officer, Dianlian Technology
Mr Xia Bo, Vice President from TÜV Rheinland emphasized: “TUV Rheinland congratulates the pilots of the world’s largest battery cell manufacturers as they successfully report against harmonised sustainability performance expectations developed by the Global Battery Alliance, with TUV Rheinland joining the pilots as a data verifier. Our priority is to support the manufacturers in bringing safe and high-quality batteries with expertise and competence to various target markets.”
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