World's Largest EV Battery Maker Goes Carbon Neutral

The company powering the electric vehicle revolution just hit a major climate milestone.

CATL, the world's largest EV battery manufacturer, announced that all 20 of its operating plants have achieved carbon neutral certification. The company supplies nearly 40% of all EV batteries globally, making this shift significant for the entire electric vehicle industry.

The Chinese battery giant powered its factories entirely with zero-carbon electricity throughout 2025. Since 2023, those plants have consumed more than 18 billion kilowatt-hours of clean power while cutting energy use per battery by 28% and slashing carbon emissions per unit by 77%.

Between 2023 and 2025, CATL's efficiency measures eliminated over 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. That's roughly the same as taking 2.2 million gas-powered cars off the road for a year.

The company earned ISO 14068-1 certification for all its facilities, a rigorous standard that requires companies to measure emissions carefully, reduce them as much as possible, and only then use carbon offsets for what remains. CATL tracks every emission through its internally developed Carbon Chain Management System, which monitors more than 1,000 different product and material emission models.

But CATL's leadership knows the factory floors are just the beginning. More than 80% of a battery's lifetime emissions happen before it ever arrives at an auto plant, buried deep in mining operations, refining facilities, and chemical processing.

The company has already mapped baseline carbon data for over 100 key suppliers and is building a comprehensive decarbonization program. Starting in 2027, new suppliers will need to provide carbon footprint data, and renewable energy use will factor into annual reviews and order allocation.

The Ripple Effect

CATL's supply chain commitment could transform entire industries. The company is actively helping suppliers install solar panels, with over 60 projects already generating 450 million kilowatt-hours annually.

Thirty core suppliers will join an intensive decarbonization program focusing on cleaner materials, renewable electricity, zero-carbon freight, and battery recycling. Suppliers who invest in reducing emissions could earn priority contracts and longer-term partnerships, creating a powerful incentive for change throughout the battery supply chain.

"This requires collaboration across the entire battery value chain," said Bryan Huang, who leads CATL's procurement operations. The company aims to achieve full value-chain carbon neutrality by 2035, a deadline that seemed impossibly ambitious just a few years ago.

When the world's biggest player in a crucial industry commits to deep decarbonization and brings its suppliers along for the journey, millions of tons of emissions disappear while proving clean manufacturing works at massive scale.