Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have jointly called for accelerated efforts to transition to a ‘circular battery’ future, in which new battery production is decoupled from the use of virgin raw materials.
The groups, which formed a strategic partnership earlier this year, made the announcement at London Climate Action Week, at which they revealed how they have been working together to map out how circular economy principles can be applied across the battery value chain.
‘Free of virgin raw materials’
In order to bring this ambition into focus, CATL has announced that it is aiming for 50% of new battery production to be free of virgin raw materials within 20 years.
‘This is a long-term marker — one that will guide how we explore circular models, scale partnerships, and invest in innovation across the value chain,’ CATL said, noting that the global battery recycling market is set to be worth around $165 billion by 2040.
At the heart of its target are four principles from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s circular economy model: rethink systems, redesign products, rethink business models, and recycle materials.
CATL is already taking steps to implement these pillars, including extending the lifespan of batteries significantly (to as many as 18,000 cycles); implementing plans to deploy over 10,000 ‘battery swap stations’; and accelerating its recycling of end-of-life batteries.
In 2024 alone, CATL recycled around 130,000 tonnes of end-of-life batteries, recovering 17,000 tonnes of lithium salts.
‘Shaped through collaboration’
“The circular battery system won’t be built in a lab or a boardroom — it will be shaped through collaboration, testing, and shared effort,” commented Jiang Li, vice president and board secretary of CATL (pictured).
“This ambition is a signal to help drive that work forward. Achieving it will require global collaboration, cross-sector learning, and open engagement across the value chain — all of which the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has long championed.” Read more here.
