World’s First EV Battery Circular Economy Report Launched, with CATL and 30+ Organizations Championing “Design for Circularity”

On January 20, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation released the world’s first comprehensive report on the circular economy for traction batteries at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Titled *Circularity Leading the Future: Unlocking the Value of the Circular Economy for Traction Batteries and Critical Minerals*, the report was jointly supported by over 30 companies and research institutions across the value chain, including CATL, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover, and DHL. It presents, for the first time, a systematic roadmap for transformation. The report emphasizes shifting from “end-of-pipe solutions” to “designing for circularity,” advocating concepts such as easy disassembly, repairability, and remanufacturing to extend battery lifespans. It also calls for scaling up circular business models like Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS), establishing regional battery collection and recycling networks, and leveraging digital tools—such as the “Battery Passport”—to enhance global circulation efficiency. CATL stated that it has already built a closed-loop system covering the entire battery lifecycle, from R&D and application to recycling and reuse.