CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation share ambition for a circular battery future

Announced during London Climate Action Week, the collaboration marks a new phase of ambition and action across the global battery system

LONDON, June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At London Climate Action Week, CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation shared an ambition for accelerating the transition to a circular battery economy —that new battery production must be decoupled from the use of virgin raw materials. Doing so will enable a future where access, resilience, and sustainability go hand in hand — and where growth is no longer tied to extraction.

Since forming their Strategic Partnership earlier this year, CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have been working together to map out how circular economy principles can be applied across the battery value chain. The shared ambition offers a starting point — a North Star — for the collaboration and innovation that must follow. It is intended to guide not only CATL, but a broad community of global stakeholders seeking to redesign the system for long-term success.

The ambition was introduced by Jiang Li, vice president and Board Secretary of CATL at a high-level panel hosted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The panel explored how stakeholders across research, industry, and government can work together to bring this ambition to life — and to identify what is needed to achieve it at scale.

To help bring this ambition into focus, CATL has introduced a directional goal: that within 20 years, 50% of new battery production could be decoupled from virgin raw materials. 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.

Jiang Li highlighted that the circular economy will unlock new economic opportunities as well as environmental and social values. By 2040, the global battery recycling market is expected to exceed RMB 1.2 trillion (about 165 billion U.S. dollars), and the battery value chain could generate more than 10 million jobs—over half of which would be in developing countries.

Four principles to guide industry transformation

At the heart of this ambition are four practical principles, adapted from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's circular economy framework. These principles are designed to guide transformation across the battery value chain — from mining and manufacturing to mobility and energy systems. They offer a starting point  to create further alignment with  key stakeholders to design collaborative action to accelerate the shift toward a more circular battery economy.

Rethink Systems. A circular approach requires systemic change across the battery ecosystem. By embedding circularity into each stage of the value chain, it becomes possible to support low-carbon development, reduce waste, and enable the continuous flow of materials. This principle emphasises optimising the structure and interactions of the value chain to enable more efficient and resilient use of resources.

Redesign Products. Circularity begins at the design stage. Batteries must be built for longevity, disassembly, and second-life applications — using modular architecture and durable components. Designing with reuse and recycling in mind ensures that products can retain value for longer and be recovered more efficiently at the end of life.

Rethink Business Models. New business models are essential to decoupling resource use from economic growth. By shifting from traditional ownership to shared, service-based, or second-life models, batteries can deliver greater utility and become more accessible to users. This principle supports the creation of economically viable pathways for circularity to scale.

Recycle Materials. A high-performing recycling system is essential to circularity. Materials must be recovered efficiently and returned to high-value use, increasing the proportion of closed-loop recycling. This reduces dependence on virgin resources and helps establish a more sustainable, secure, and low-impact supply of critical raw materials.

Jiang Li also shared examples of CATL's implementation of the four pillars.

• At system level, CATL launched its Carbon Chain Management System to help decarbonize the battery value chain.
• In product design, CATL has extended battery lifespan significantly—its energy storage batteries now reach up to 18,000 cycles—reducing both materials demand and emissions.
• CATL also plans to deploy over 10,000 battery swap stations, improving battery efficiency and facilitating large-scale collection of retired batteries.
• In recycling, CATL operates the world's largest battery take-back network and in 2024 alone recycled around 130,000 tons of end-of-life batteries, recovering 17,000 tons of lithium salts.

Piloting change through GECC

To test and expand upon the shared ambition in real-world conditions, CATL is advancing the Global Energy Circularity Commitment (GECC) — Announced in March, GECC is an open, global platform where stakeholders from industry, cities, and academia come together to test circular economy solutions in practice. CATL looks to work with players across the value chain through this platform, exploring and sharing insights to help scale impact. This collective approach is key to building a resilient and sustainable battery system.

Looking ahead

This shared ambition is a starting point — a foundation for building new forms of collaboration, transparency, and systems innovation across the global battery landscape. CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will continue to engage with public- and private-sector partners to refine, expand, and operationalise the ideas set out here.

"The circular battery system won't be built in a lab or a boardroom — it will be shaped through collaboration, testing, and shared effort," said Jiang Li. "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."

Photo - https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2719665/image_836557_28295166.jpg?p=medium600
Photo - https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2719666/1.jpg?p=medium600

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation share ambition for a circular battery future

CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation share ambition for a circular battery future

TIANJIN, China, May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TCL Zhonghuan ("TCL Zhonghuan Renewable Energy Technology Co., Ltd.") announced the launch of its next-generation BC (back-contact) high-efficiency module at its Tianjin manufacturing base this month, marking a major milestone as the company transitions BC technology from advanced development into large-scale commercial production. Featuring a unique combination of proprietary BC architecture and in-house silicon wafer technology, the new module delivers up to 25.2% module efficiency and 680W power output, offering a high-performance solution for utility-scale and commercial & industrial (C&I) solar applications.

The launch further strengthens TCL Zhonghuan's position in next-generation PV technology and underscores its commitment to driving higher efficiency, greater reliability, and lower lifecycle energy costs across the solar industry.

Advancing BC Technology Through Integrated Innovation

Unlike conventional BC products available in the market, TCL Zhonghuan's BC platform is built on a fully integrated technology foundation spanning wafers, cells, and modules. The company's competitive advantages include a robust portfolio of more than 1,600 foundational BC patents, dedicated BC wafer development, and decades of research and manufacturing expertise.

The newly launched modules are manufactured using TCL Zhonghuan's proprietary high-efficiency silicon wafers. Based on the company's advanced low-carbon wafer technology platform, these wafers feature minority carrier lifetimes exceeding 1,000 μs, providing an ideal foundation for high-efficiency BC cell architectures. Combined with an optimized cell design, the technology supports conversion efficiencies exceeding 27% at the cell level while maintaining a temperature coefficient as low as -0.26%/°C.

To further enhance system reliability, TCL Zhonghuan has introduced a next-generation hotspot mitigation design that can reduce hotspot temperatures by up to 50°C compared with conventional modules. The modules also demonstrate excellent low-irradiance performance, with a weak-light response factor exceeding 95%, enabling stable energy generation under diverse operating conditions.

Setting a New Benchmark for High-Efficiency Modules

The new N-type BC modules combine TCL Zhonghuan's proprietary N-type wafer technology with advanced BC cell architecture, delivering strong performance across multiple dimensions.

With a mass-production efficiency of up to 25.2% and maximum power output reaching 680W, the modules are on par with mainstream BC products in terms of power rating. They incorporate enhanced resistance to fire risk, partial shading, and dust accumulation, while offering a 30-year linear power warranty and a 15-year product warranty.

The modules also achieve a bifaciality factor of 80% ± 5%, enabling higher rear-side energy generation and increased overall energy yield. Long-term reliability has been further strengthened through advanced PID-resistant design, limiting lifecycle power degradation to below 1% under testing conditions. The products have successfully passed rigorous certification and validation processes conducted by internationally recognized testing organizations.

In addition to performance advantages, the modules feature a busbar-free front surface that creates a clean, all-black appearance, making them particularly suitable for BIPV and premium rooftop applications. Their versatility also allows deployment across utility-scale, commercial, and distributed generation projects, helping customers reduce LCOE and maximize long-term project value.

Reinforcing Leadership in BC Technology

As an early pioneer and long-term innovator in BC technology, TCL Zhonghuan has leveraged more than four decades of semiconductor materials expertise and extensive photovoltaic manufacturing experience to establish a distinctive BC technology platform. By combining advanced BC cell architecture with proprietary strengths in large-format wafers, N-type materials, and intelligent manufacturing, the company has created a vertically integrated innovation ecosystem that accelerates technology commercialization and performance improvement.

TCL Zhonghuan possesses one of the industry's most comprehensive BC intellectual property portfolios. Since achieving the world's first commercial-scale production of IBC cells in 2004, the company has continued to expand its innovation footprint, securing more than 1,600 globally authorized BC patents covering crystal growth, cell structures, manufacturing processes, and module packaging technologies.

As global demand for high-efficiency solar solutions continues to grow, TCL Zhonghuan remains committed to advancing solar innovation through continuous technology development and manufacturing excellence. Working closely with customers and industry partners worldwide, the company will continue to accelerate the adoption of next-generation PV technologies and contribute to a more sustainable, low-carbon energy future.

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

TCL Zhonghuan Launches Next-Generation BC Module at Tianjin Manufacturing Base