Implementing battery passports to provide traceability and transparency of the EV batteries supply chain from mine to battery is a major step towards improving sustainability and transparency of automotive, energy, and battery industries, supporting the global green transition. Both pilots were presented by the Global Battery Alliance at the World Economic Forum in Davos on the 18th of January 2023. Further development and implementation of battery passports for EV vehicles is planned based on the results of the pilots.

ReSource partners, in collaboration with a consortium of LG Energy Solution and Tesla amongst others, fully mapped and traced the cobalt supply chain from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through each step of the supply chain to LG Energy Solution and the electric vehicles factory in China. ReSource traced 100% of the cobalt used in the battery, issued the battery passport, aggregated, and processed supply chain data and calculated ESG metrics.

The pilot is based on the first successful end-to-end real-time tracking of physical material through the supply chain from mine to EV manufacturer by the ReSource partners and demonstrated their unique solution for tracing and sustainability management of supply chain and issuing of battery passports.

Benedikt Sobotka, Co-Chair of the Global Battery Alliance and CEO of Eurasian Resources Group, founding member of the GBA, said: “This is a major breakthrough in demonstrating the capability of this technology to be a force for good. ReSource is the only solution that plans to provide end-to-end real-time tracking of the battery materials (zero-knowledge proof of provenance). It can aggregate all ESG and tracking data from the EV battery supply chain without disclosing commercially sensitive information. This can and will be a game-changer for the industry, providing the technology for safe, secure supply chains, responsible and sustainable sourcing of materials, and transparency and traceability through a product’s lifetime.”

ReSource partners and RCS Global Group fully mapped and traced cobalt (ReSource) and lithium (RCS Vine) supply chains from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (for cobalt) and Chile (for lithium) through each step of the supply chain. The ReSource solution traced 100% of the cobalt used in the battery and calculated intermediate results for the cobalt supply chain that were shared with RCS through interoperability between the ReSource solution and RCS Vine. RCS Global issued the battery passport, aggregated and processed final supply chain data and calculated ESG metrics.

The pilot demonstrated successful interoperability between the ReSource solution and RCS Vine when issuing the battery passport.

Read more in the RCS Global Group press release.

The pilots successfully met the battery passport data and traceability requirements defined in the GBA battery passport rulebooks on Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs), Human Rights, and Child Labor. These rulebooks provide a standardized methodology of data aggregation and define key performance indicators.

ReSource will be a platform for the EV industry to provide physical tracking of battery metals and manage sustainability risks in a battery supply chain. ReSource is the only solution that announced plans to develop secure and reliable zero-knowledge proof of provenance of battery materials in compliance with both regulatory and commercial requirements.

ReSource will be a platform developed by a consortium of CMOC, ERG, and Glencore [1] with support from industry leaders such as Cobalt Institute, Responsible Minerals Initiative, Tesla, Umicore, and product development partner Kryha.

The Battery Passports developed during the pilots contain a technical specification of the battery, traceability information about battery materials, and a summary of the ESG performance of the battery supply chain.

Mr. Ruiwen Sun, CEO of CMOC, said: “CMOC and its global trading platform IXM are committed to responsible mining, processing, delivering and application of new energy metals. Bringing together all stakeholders across the world with this joint effort, a technologically advanced transparent and responsible supply chain will give end users greater confidence and consciousness when they consume the products made from raw materials supplied by us. We are very proud of the successful pilot of ReSource and looking forward to its large-scale implementation and application to a much broader scope in the new energy metals sector.”

Jyothish George, Marketing Head of Copper, Cobalt and Zinc Metals at Glencore, said  “Our partnership with ReSource is based on our ability to provide clear proof of origin to our global customer base. As the world focuses on the ongoing energy transition, this means greater focus is being placed on a transparent supply chain. We are proud that our support for ReSource will enable the first end-to-end tracking of cobalt from mine to market.”

[1] It is acknowledged that all activities are in respect of the preparation for the anticipated ReSource joint venture initiative. Notwithstanding that, if ReSource is constituted, it will be a joint venture between multiple parties (including IXM, ERG and Glencore), its constitution is subject to global anti-trust approvals being granted. As such, until such time as ReSource is constituted, the joint venture partners in ReSource act individually only in relation to ReSource.