Traceability has become a defining requirement for the future of batteries. As demand for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and portable electronics continues to rise, so does scrutiny over how batteries are sourced, produced, used, and recycled. The Digital Product Passport, and more specifically the Digital Battery Passport (DBP), is emerging as the mechanism that connects every stage of the battery lifecycle into a single, verifiable digital record.
From mining and materials processing to manufacturing, use, second life, and recycling, a well-designed DBP enables transparency across complex, global supply chains. In doing so, it supports regulatory compliance, improves sustainability outcomes, and strengthens trust between industry, regulators, and consumers.
Traceability Starts at the Source: How Mining Data Enters the DBP
Critical Raw Materials and Ethical Risks
Batteries rely on metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite, which are often mined in regions with elevated environmental and social risk profiles. For instance, cobalt from artisanal mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been linked to hazardous working conditions and child labour (OECD Due Diligence Guidance, 3rd ed.). Without robust traceability, it is difficult to ensure responsible sourcing.
Material Origin Data Capture
At the extraction stage, DBPs capture material provenance details such as:
- Mine location and operator
- Mineral lot or batch identifiers
- Certification status under recognised schemes
- Supply chain due diligence records
This material provenance is often encoded using standardised identifiers (such as GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers or ISO 15926 ontologies) that allow traceability systems to link raw material events to production and beyond.
Data Verification and Integration
Data sourced from mining operations feed into DBPs through APIs, blockchain anchoring, or secure data exchanges. Third-party verification bodies (e.g., under standards such as the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA)) validate upstream data before it is recorded in the DBP. This ensures integrity rather than reliance on unverified supplier declarations.
Manufacturing & Assembly: Building the Digital Identity of the Battery
Cell and Module Data Integration
As raw materials flow into processing and cell manufacturing, the DBP evolves into a digital identity for each battery unit. Key data elements include:
- Cell chemistry profiles (NMC, LFP, etc.)
- Component suppliers and batch numbers
- Processing parameters (temperatures, energy sources)
- Production site identifiers
- Quality assurance logs
This information supports compliance with lifecycle performance standards and enables detailed carbon footprint calculations under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1294, which defines consistent methodologies for reporting cradle-to-gate emissions.
Unique Identifiers and Traceability
Each battery unit is assigned a unique digital identifier (e.g., GS1 Serialised Global Trade Item Number or QR/UPC tag). This identifier connects every record from raw materials to finished production and links onward to usage and recycling data. It makes the DBP actionable, rather than merely descriptive.
Structured traceability data also supports:
- Regulatory reporting to EU authorities
- Product recalls
- Safety compliance verification
- Assurance of recycled content thresholds
Use Phase: Operational Data and Responsible Ownership
Performance and Safety Metrics
Once batteries are in the field, like in EVs, energy storage, or consumer devices, they generate operational data that can be captured in the DBP, including:
- State of Health (SoH)
- State of Charge (SoC)
- Cycle counts and degradation curves
- Temperature, voltage, and safety event logs
This real-world data improves traceability by offering insight into how batteries actually perform over time, which in turn:
- Extends battery lifecycle understanding
- Supports predictive maintenance strategies
- Informs second-life suitability assessments
Responsible Ownership and Data Access
Not all usage data is public. DBPs differentiate between:
- Public sustainability data (e.g., material origin, carbon footprint)
- Permissioned operational data (e.g., performance metrics), accessible only to authorised stakeholders such as manufacturers, fleet operators, or recycling partners under GDPR-compliant frameworks.
This balance ensures both transparency and data privacy while enabling deeper lifecycle insights.
Second Life and Repurposing: Traceability as a Market Enabler
As electric vehicle batteries reach the end of their first use, many retain 70–80 per cent of their original capacity. This makes them suitable for second-life applications such as stationary energy storage, grid balancing, or backup power systems. However, uncertainty around battery condition, safety, and remaining lifetime has historically limited second-life market growth.
Digital Battery Passports directly address this barrier. By carrying verified data on state of health, cycle history, operating temperatures, and stress exposure, the DBP reduces information asymmetry between sellers, integrators, and buyers. This allows second-life operators to assess risk with greater confidence and to design systems around known performance characteristics rather than assumptions.
From a technical perspective, DBPs enable decision-making based on measured degradation curves rather than nominal design values. This improves system reliability and lowers insurance and financing risks for second-life projects. As a result, traceability becomes an economic enabler, not just a sustainability tool.
Second-life traceability also supports regulatory oversight. Authorities can verify that repurposed batteries meet safety and performance requirements and are not prematurely diverted into reuse without adequate assessment.
Recycling and Material Recovery: Closing the Loop with Precision
End-of-life is where traceability delivers some of its most tangible benefits. Battery recycling is highly sensitive to chemistry, form factor, and construction methods. Without accurate information, recyclers face safety risks, inefficient processing, and reduced recovery yields.
A Digital Battery Passport provides recyclers with pre-treatment intelligence before physical handling begins. This includes material composition, module architecture, fastener types, electrolyte presence, and disassembly instructions. With this data, recyclers can select appropriate treatment routes such as mechanical separation, hydrometallurgical recovery, or emerging direct recycling methods.
Under the EU Battery Regulation, recyclers must meet progressively higher recovery efficiency targets for materials such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and lithium. Traceability via DBPs directly supports compliance by reducing losses caused by mixed or unknown feedstock.
Importantly, DBPs also enable feedback loops. Recycling output data can be linked back to original battery designs, supporting eco-design improvements and better recyclability in future generations.
Why End-to-End Traceability Creates System-Level Value
Full lifecycle traceability is not simply about knowing where a battery has been. It is about connecting data across stages to enable better decisions at each point.
For manufacturers, traceability supports:
- More accurate lifecycle assessments
- Improved carbon footprint reporting
- Faster response to quality or safety issues
For regulators, it enables:
- Evidence-based compliance verification
- More effective market monitoring
- Reduced reliance on manual audits
For the wider ecosystem, traceability strengthens supply chain resilience by making material flows visible and measurable across borders.
As battery markets scale and diversify, traceability is rapidly becoming a condition for market access rather than a voluntary differentiator.
Digital Battery Passports and ESG Reporting Alignment
Battery traceability increasingly underpins corporate ESG reporting. Metrics related to scope 3 emissions, recycled content, responsible sourcing, and circularity all depend on reliable lifecycle data.
Digital Battery Passports provide a single source of truth that can support multiple reporting obligations simultaneously. This includes alignment with:
- EU Battery Regulation sustainability requirements
- Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) disclosures
- Due diligence expectations under the OECD framework
Rather than duplicating data collection for different reports, companies can rely on DBP-enabled data pipelines that feed compliance, sustainability reporting, and operational optimisation in parallel.
This convergence is critical for reducing administrative burden while improving data credibility.
BASE Project and the Architecture of Lifecycle Traceability
The BASE project directly addresses the technical and governance challenges of lifecycle traceability. BASE is developing a trusted and interoperable Digital Battery Passport framework that enables consistent data exchange across the entire battery value chain.
BASE focuses on:
- Harmonised data models aligned with EU regulation
- Secure and permissioned data access
- Integration of circularity and sustainability indicators
- Interoperability across manufacturers, recyclers, and regulators
By validating its approach through pilots and real-world use cases, BASE demonstrates how DBPs can move from regulatory concept to operational infrastructure. The project shows that traceability must be designed into battery systems from the outset, not added retrospectively.
Closing Thoughts: Traceability as the Foundation of the Future Battery Economy
From mining to recycling, batteries pass through complex networks of actors, processes, and jurisdictions. Without a unifying digital framework, lifecycle oversight becomes fragmented and unreliable.
Digital Battery Passports provide the structure needed to connect these stages into a coherent, verifiable system. They enable compliance, support sustainability goals, unlock circular value, and build trust across the battery ecosystem.
As regulatory expectations rise and material pressures intensify, full lifecycle traceability will define which battery value chains are fit for the future. Through initiatives such as BASE, the Digital Battery Passport is emerging as the backbone of a more transparent, circular, and resilient battery economy.
The BASE project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON) Research and Innovation Actions under grant agreement No. 101157200.
Resource:
OECD, OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2016/04/oecd-due-diligence-guidance-for-responsible-supply-chains-of-minerals-from-conflict-affected-and-high-risk-areas_g1g65996.html#related-publications
Delegated regulation - EU - 2024/1294 - EN - EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024R1294
Batteries - Environment - European Commission: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/batteries_en
International Energy Agency, Global EV Outlook 2025: https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2025
Regulation - 2023/1542 - EN - EUR-Lex - European Union: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj/eng
European Commission, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en