CATL's battery supply chain initiatives have expanded into a global standardisation alliance during London Climate Action Week.

CATL joined vehicle brands and technology companies, including Google, Xiaomi, BMW, Renault and Volvo, to launch a unified circular-economy framework. According to CATL, the platform establishes a structured development pathway for future battery asset management and vehicle lifecycle regulation.

The initiative is centred on the development of the Battery Circular Design Guide, which is scheduled for full release in 2027. The framework introduces uniform criteria for diagnostic cell testing, simplified battery pack disassembly and cell remanufacturing. Technical parameters will define structural evaluation metrics for both passenger electric vehicles and heavy commercial logistics vehicles.

Technical design standards

The alliance is focused on expanding standardised practices through the evaluation of cell operating histories, degradation rates and residual health parameters. By establishing uniform lifecycle rules, automakers and fleet operators can calculate asset values and manage financial deployment risks. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is coordinating cross-industry collaboration to align corporate strategies with carbon-reduction targets.

Emissions generated across the value chain from mining and raw material processing remain five times higher than those produced by core factory operations. According to the company, the use of recycled components reduced the carbon intensity of the material by 32%. Its subsidiary, Brunp, processed 210,000 tonnes of battery waste in 2025, recovering 99.6% of the core minerals.

European swapping expansion

As part of its overseas infrastructure expansion, the company partnered with Octopus Energy to develop a European commercial vehicle network. The initiative follows the earlier introduction of a heavy-truck battery-swapping system for Europe. The project uses engineering solutions previously deployed through a 1,250 km heavy-duty battery-swapping corridor within domestic freight transport routes last year.

According to company data, 1,000 efficiency projects have reduced core factory emissions intensity by 77% since 2022. The company stated that it achieved operational carbon neutrality across all of its battery manufacturing facilities last year. The emissions-reduction measures are intended to support compliance with forthcoming environmental regulations in export markets.