The Global Battery Alliance (GBA), an organization which unites companies across the entire battery value chain, has initiated the second wave of its Battery Passport pilots. This new phase involves 11 pilot consortia and encompasses over 160 members, including public organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labor unions, and academia.
Following the successful debut of the world's first Battery Passport proof of concept in early 2023, the GBA is launching the second wave of its pilot projects. This phase aims to establish the Minimum Viable Product for the GBA Battery Passport, incorporating a comprehensive ESG score at the product level.
The GBA has assembled 11 distinct pilot consortia, representing a significant portion of the global electric vehicle battery market. These consortia are led by major battery manufacturers and will operate in a collaborative, pre-competitive environment. Additionally, the pilots include several independent track-and-trace solution providers, enhancing the ability to monitor and report on sustainability metrics throughout the battery lifecycle.
This expanded initiative continues the momentum from the initial proof of concept while broadening the scope and impact of the Battery Passport program.
The electric mobility and energy storage sectors are set for dramatic growth, with projections indicating a 17-fold expansion by 2030. This surge is fueled by global commitments to triple renewable energy capacity, aligning with COP28 targets. Within this rapidly evolving landscape, integrating sustainability into the battery industry is paramount, as a sustainable battery value chain will enhance industry resilience and advance the overarching goals of a green and equitable transition. The Global Battery Alliance (GBA) pilots underscore the importance of international collaboration to scale sustainable practices in battery production amidst intensifying geopolitical competition.
Central to this effort is the Battery Passport, GBA's signature initiative designed to promote transparency and accountability. The Battery Passport aligns with existing regulations, such as the EU Battery Regulation, and incorporates voluntary standards into a cohesive framework of globally traceable and comparable performance metrics at the product level. By adhering to the Battery Passport rulebooks, companies can benchmark their sustainability practices and contribute to the calculation of a GBA ESG score. This score is intended to guide investors, procurement professionals, and consumers, fostering a market where products compete based on verified sustainability performance, thereby driving continuous improvement across the battery industry.
The second wave of pilots expands significantly on the 2023 proof of concept. Participants will adhere to seven harmonized rulebooks developed by multistakeholder working groups convened by the GBA. These rulebooks set sustainability performance expectations for key metrics, including GHG emissions, human rights, child labor, forced labor, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, biodiversity, and circular design of batteries. Based on the data provided by the consortia, differentiated ESG scores will be issued, encouraging companies to exceed compliance in mitigating sustainability risks throughout the value chain.
The GBA's public-private platform fosters precompetitive collaboration with commercial battery passport solution providers, promoting the harmonization and interoperability of standards. This represents a pivotal step in establishing GBA’s sustainability performance expectations as a globally recognized benchmark for sustainable battery products. The current pilot phase will also introduce data assurance elements to ensure the secure sharing of trusted information.
The GBA plans to release the results of these pilots by the end of this year.
