CATL joins OEMs to develop recyclable battery framework

Battery manufacturer CATL has joined forces with leading companies from the battery, technology and automotive sectors to establish the Global Energy Circular Economy Alliance in London. Founding members include CATL, BMW, Renault, Volvo, Google and Xiaomi. The alliance aims to develop common standards for battery designs that are easier to reuse and recycle, with CATL taking a central role as the key battery industry participant.

Catl global energy circular economy alliance london — Image: CATL

The founding members of the new alliance came together during London Climate Action Week to formally launch the initiative. Coordination of the Global Energy Circular Economy Alliance is being led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, while CATL assumes a central position within the group. The battery manufacturer has primarily partnered with vehicle makers in the alliance, putting it in a strong position to help shape future standards for battery design, recycling and supply chains.

More than a year ago, CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation launched the Global Energy Circularity Commitment (GECC), a collaborative platform focused on advancing a circular economy for batteries. Speaking about the initiative at the IAA last year, Jiang Li said: “To make circularity real at scale, the industry needs clear standards and aligned policy and financial frameworks. With more partners joining us, we are working together to build an ecosystem that makes batteries more resilient, secure, and sustainable for the decades ahead.”

The newly established Global Energy Circular Economy Alliance will focus on scaling circular business models across the battery value chain. According to CATL, the initiative aims to develop common assessment standards for factors such as battery usage history, state of health, degradation and recycling responsibilities. The goal is to provide automotive manufacturers, logistics companies, investors and policymakers with a more consistent basis for evaluating battery value and operational risks.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation will act as the alliance’s collaboration platform, facilitating cooperation between stakeholders across the supply chain and supporting the development of shared standards and best practices.

As its first major project, the alliance plans to develop a common framework for a battery circular economy. The resulting Battery Circular Design Guide is scheduled for publication in 2027 and will set out standardised criteria for areas such as diagnostic cell testing, easier battery pack disassembly and cell refurbishment. The partners also intend to define technical parameters that support structural assessments of battery-electric passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

By establishing common rules across the battery lifecycle, OEMs and fleet operators aim to improve the accuracy of asset valuation and reduce financial uncertainty. The issue of residual values for battery-electric vehicles remains a key challenge for the industry, making reliable standards for battery condition and lifecycle assessment increasingly important.

carnewschina.com, mp.weixin.qq.com (in Chinese)