CATL Achieves Core-Operations Carbon Neutrality, Targets 2035 Value Chain

CATL Achieves Carbon Neutrality Across Core Operations

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) said it achieved carbon neutrality across its core operations by the end of 2025 and has now set out a structured pathway toward carbon neutrality across its wider value chain by 2035. At an August 17 event in Ningde, Fujian province, where the company is headquartered, the world's largest power battery maker said it is the only battery company globally to have achieved carbon neutrality in core operations while operating at TWh-scale shipment volumes. The announcement marks a shift from factory-level decarbonization toward a broader effort covering suppliers, materials, components and other stages of battery production.

Zero-Carbon Manufacturing Expands Across CATL Plants

Carbon neutrality in core operations refers to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from a company's own production and operating activities, with electricity and heat consumption at manufacturing facilities representing major sources. Reaching that target becomes more difficult as production expands because larger manufacturing networks require substantially more energy. By the end of 2025, 20 CATL battery plants had received ISO 14068-1 certification as zero-carbon factories, while zero-carbon electricity accounted for 100% of the power used in its core operations. The company therefore combined factory certification, zero-carbon electricity use and efficiency improvements while continuing to operate at large industrial scale.

Battery Production Grows While Emissions Intensity Falls

The company has expanded battery production while reducing the emissions intensity associated with manufacturing. CATL produced 748 GWh of batteries in 2025, while sales were 2.3 times higher than in 2022, according to the company's statement. Since 2023, it has used more than 18 billion kWh of zero-carbon electricity. Energy consumption per unit of output across its battery production bases fell 28% in 2025 compared with 2022, while carbon-emissions intensity declined by about 77% over two years. CATL said these measures resulted in cumulative emissions reductions of more than 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Supply Chain Becomes the Focus of the 2035 Target

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd unveiled its zero-carbon strategy in 2023, setting a target of achieving carbon neutrality in core operations by 2025 and extending that objective across its value chain by 2035. The company now identifies the supply chain as the largest challenge in the next phase. More than 80% of the lifecycle carbon emissions associated with its products come from the supply chain, while total supply-chain emissions exceed those from core operations by more than five times, according to CATL. That gap means factory decarbonization alone cannot deliver the company's longer-term value-chain carbon-neutrality objective.

CATL Builds Carbon Traceability Across the Supply Chain

To address supply-chain emissions, CATL has developed a full-chain carbon-data traceability platform covering mineral extraction, raw-material refining, material synthesis and component manufacturing. The platform is based on the company's Carbon Chain Management System, or CCMS, which was launched in 2022. CATL said the system has completed calculations using real-world carbon data from more than 100 core tier-one suppliers and has created more than 1,000 product and raw-material models. This approach is intended to provide more detailed visibility into emissions throughout the battery supply chain and support more consistent measurement of carbon performance across the different stages of production.

Green Procurement Guidelines Target Supplier Emissions

Bryan Huang, head of CATL's procurement center, said the company will issue Green Procurement Guidelines that incorporate carbon footprints, renewable-energy usage ratios and energy consumption per unit of output into supplier qualification and review processes. CATL has also launched a Zero-Carbon Supply Chain Empowerment Initiative, with an initial group of 30 core suppliers participating in deeper emissions-reduction collaboration. The company has additionally proposed creating a global zero-carbon ecosystem collaboration platform for the lithium battery industry, extending its decarbonization effort beyond individual factories and toward coordinated action across suppliers and industry participants.

Suppliers Join 2035 Value-Chain Carbon Neutrality Initiative

At the event, CATL and suppliers of cathode materials, anode materials, current collectors and other components jointly launched an initiative aimed at achieving value-chain carbon neutrality by 2035. CATL also entered into strategic cooperation agreements with the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation and the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange. These initiatives broaden the company's approach from measuring its own operational emissions to coordinating data, procurement practices and emissions-reduction efforts across the organizations involved in producing battery materials and components. The initiative therefore places suppliers at the center of CATL's next stage of decarbonization.

Zero-Carbon Batteries Positioned as a Future Industry Requirement

Robin Zeng, chairman and CEO of CATL, said the zero-carbon economy has become a new model for growth and is creating broad opportunities for industries and development. He added that batteries that are not zero-carbon will eventually be phased out. Zeng also argued that continuing technological advances are lowering the cost of green energy, making the economics of zero-carbon development increasingly clear. His comments position decarbonization not only as an environmental objective but also as an emerging competitive requirement for battery manufacturers as customers, regulators and markets place greater emphasis on product carbon footprints.

CATL Seeks to Standardize Zero-Carbon Practices

Jiang Li, CATL's vice president and board secretary, said the company is codifying the methodologies, data and technical expertise accumulated through the development of zero-carbon factories. The stated goal is to turn zero-carbon practices from company-level initiatives into approaches that can be replicated across the wider industry. This could help standardize how battery manufacturers measure factory emissions, track energy consumption and evaluate decarbonization performance. The effort is also relevant to suppliers because consistent methodologies can make carbon data more comparable across different stages of battery production and provide a clearer basis for procurement and emissions-reduction decisions.

Carbon Footprints Gain Importance in Overseas Battery Markets

Carbon footprints are increasingly becoming a threshold for battery makers seeking access to overseas markets, with the European Union introducing requirements covering battery carbon-footprint declarations and limits. For manufacturers supplying global EV markets, the ability to measure and document emissions can therefore become as important as reducing them. CATL's value-chain initiative addresses this challenge by combining supplier data collection, carbon traceability, procurement criteria and zero-carbon manufacturing practices. The company's 2035 target consequently extends beyond internal operations and reflects the growing importance of lifecycle emissions management in the international battery industry, including markets such as China that are deeply integrated into global battery manufacturing.

CATL Maintains Global EV Battery Leadership

CATL remains the world's largest EV battery supplier, holding a 39.9% share of the global market in the first half of 2026, up from 38.2% a year earlier, according to South Korean research firm SNE Research. The company's latest carbon-neutrality strategy comes as its manufacturing footprint and market position give it significant influence over battery supply-chain practices. By combining zero-carbon factory operations with supplier-focused emissions management, CATL is seeking to move from reducing emissions within its own facilities toward influencing how carbon performance is measured and improved throughout the broader battery value chain. The strategy could therefore have implications for suppliers and battery manufacturers across China and global EV markets.

Frequently Asked Questions

What carbon-neutrality target has CATL achieved?
CATL achieved carbon neutrality across its core operations by the end of 2025, covering emissions associated with its own production and operating activities. The company said zero-carbon electricity accounted for 100% of power used in its core operations, while 20 battery plants had received ISO 14068-1 certification as zero-carbon factories. CATL is now extending its focus toward the wider battery value chain, with a target of achieving value-chain carbon neutrality by 2035. Supply-chain emissions are the primary challenge because they represent more than 80% of product lifecycle emissions.

Why is CATL focusing on its battery supply chain?
CATL is focusing on its supply chain because more than 80% of the lifecycle carbon emissions associated with its products come from suppliers and upstream production activities. The company said total supply-chain emissions exceed emissions from its core operations by more than five times. To address this gap, CATL has developed a carbon-data traceability platform covering mineral extraction, refining, material synthesis and component manufacturing. It is also introducing procurement criteria based on carbon footprints, renewable-energy usage and energy consumption, while working with 30 core suppliers through its zero-carbon initiative.

What does CATL's 2035 carbon-neutrality strategy mean for the battery industry?
CATL's 2035 strategy could increase the importance of measurable carbon performance throughout the global battery industry as manufacturers face growing environmental requirements in overseas markets. The company plans to use supplier carbon data, procurement requirements, traceability systems and zero-carbon manufacturing practices to address emissions beyond its own factories. CATL also wants to codify the methodologies developed through its zero-carbon factories so they can be replicated across the industry. This approach reflects a broader shift toward lifecycle carbon management as battery manufacturers compete for access to increasingly regulated international EV markets.