CATL Leads Battery Passport Race as EU's 2027 Mandate Looms

CATL has completed every phase of the Global Battery Alliance’s battery passport pilot, a distinction the Chinese battery giant claims no competitor has achieved. The third wave, which wrapped with cell manufacturers representing roughly 80% of worldwide production capacity, sets the stage for a full certification framework expected in early 2027.

The passport initiative is designed to create a common framework for tracking, measuring and verifying a battery’s environmental, social and governance footprint from the mine to the finished pack. CATL’s latest submission covered ESG metrics spanning the entire supply chain — extraction, refining, material processing, cell manufacturing and final assembly — a level of granularity that could become a competitive moat once digital passports shift from voluntary trials to legal obligations.

That transition is already scheduled. Starting February 2027, the European Union will require digital battery passports for EV batteries sold in the bloc, a rule that places a premium on verified upstream data. Suppliers who can demonstrate traceable, audited supply chains will be better positioned with European automakers navigating tightening compliance demands.

CATL’s involvement dates back to the GBA’s first proof of concept in January 2023. In the pilot’s second round, the company pursued separate passports for its Shenxing and cell-to-pack battery lines, with an independent auditor validating the results. The company also states that its core operations are already carbon neutral and has set a target of a fully carbon-neutral value chain by 2035.

Dennis Pan, CATL’s Head of Sustainable Development, framed the pilot as a tool for the wider industry: the methodology gives manufacturers a practical way to monitor, quantify and communicate ESG performance across the battery value chain, helping them brace for future sustainability risks and regulatory challenges.