A Vision for a Sustainable Battery Value Chain in 2030

The report argues that while battery demand is expected to grow 14-fold by 2030, the current trajectory poses significant GHG, social, and environmental risks. It proposes a 'target state' where a circular value chain enables 30% of required emission reductions in transport and power, provides electricity to 600 million people, and creates 10 million jobs. Key levers include vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, shared mobility, and improved recycling, alongside a call for a 'battery passport' to ensure transparency and human rights compliance, particularly in cobalt mining in the DRC.

• Global battery demand is projected to grow by approximately 14 times current levels to reach 2,600 GWh by 2030 in the base case scenario, with passenger cars accounting for 60% of this demand.
• A sustainable 'target state' for the battery value chain could enable 30% of the required emission reductions in the transport and power sectors by 2030, avoiding 0.4 GtCO2 in transport and 2.2 GtCO2 by enabling renewables.
• The battery value chain has a significant carbon footprint, emitting 182 Mt CO2e in the 2030 base case, but this could be nearly halved to 100 Mt through circular economy and technology levers.
• The expansion of the value chain creates severe social risks, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where artisanal cobalt mining is linked to child labour and hazardous conditions affecting up to 1 million children.
• Implementing a 'battery passport' is recommended to enable data sharing on materials chemistry, origin, and state of health, which would support life extension, recycling, and human rights verification.
• Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and smart charging (V1G) could cover 65% of the global demand for battery storage powering grids by 2030, potentially reducing charging infrastructure costs by up to 90%.
• Sustainable battery deployment could provide electricity access to approximately 600 million people through microgrids, solar home systems, and solar lanterns, reducing the global electricity gap by 70%.
• The target vision predicts the creation of 10 million additional safe and fair jobs globally by 2030, with more than 50% of these positions located in emerging economies.
• Raw material demand for lithium-ion batteries will increase dramatically by 2030, with class 1 nickel demand expected to grow by a factor of 24 and lithium by a factor of 6.
• Lead-acid batteries (LABs) remain a critical technology, with global demand expected to reach 490 GWh by 2030, though improper recycling in transition economies causes significant lead exposure and health issues for children.

APA

World Economic Forum (2019). A Vision for a Sustainable Battery Value Chain in 2030. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Vision_for_a_Sustainable_Battery_Value_Chain_in_2030_Report.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. A Vision for a Sustainable Battery Value Chain in 2030. 2019. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Vision_for_a_Sustainable_Battery_Value_Chain_in_2030_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=A Vision for a Sustainable Battery Value Chain in 2030 |date=September 2019 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Vision_for_a_Sustainable_Battery_Value_Chain_in_2030_Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2019vision, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{A Vision for a Sustainable Battery Value Chain in 2030}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Vision_for_a_Sustainable_Battery_Value_Chain_in_2030_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }