CATL Invests in CarbonScape to Accelerate Commercialization of Bio-Based Graphite
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), the world’s largest battery manufacturer, has announced a strategic investment in CarbonScape Ltd., a New Zealand-founded company specializing in sustainable bio-based graphite materials for lithium-ion batteries. The partnership is designed to accelerate the commercialization and large-scale deployment of CarbonScape’s innovative biographite technology.
As part of the agreement, CATL will secure board representation and play a key role in supporting the industrialization and scaling of CarbonScape’s technology. The collaboration comes at a time when automakers and policymakers are seeking low-carbon, locally sourced, and cost-effective graphite materials to strengthen battery supply chains across the United States and Europe.
Advancing Sustainable Battery Materials
With global demand for electric vehicles and energy storage systems continuing to rise, the need for battery-grade graphite is expected to grow significantly. CarbonScape has developed a proprietary process that converts forestry by-products into high-quality battery-grade graphite, providing a renewable alternative to conventional graphite production.
CATL will contribute its expertise in large-scale manufacturing, process optimization, industrial operations, and commercialization to help accelerate the technology’s transition from pilot production to gigafactory-scale deployment.
Ivan Williams, Chief Executive Officer of CarbonScape, said the partnership represents much more than a financial investment. He noted that CATL’s experience in scaling advanced battery technologies, combined with its global manufacturing capabilities and market reach, provides a clear pathway toward commercial production. According to Williams, the collaboration also reinforces the strategic importance of biographite as the battery industry moves toward more sustainable materials, with commercial production targeted before the end of the decade.
Supporting the Energy Transition
Oscar Luo, Executive President and Global Head of Business Development, Licensing & Venture Management at CATL, described CarbonScape’s technology as an important innovation in battery materials. He said producing battery-grade graphite from renewable forestry resources supports the company’s vision of advancing cleaner and more sustainable battery supply chains while contributing to the global transition toward low-carbon energy.
CarbonScape Chief Commercial Officer Vincent Ledoux-Pedailles highlighted graphite’s critical role in lithium-ion batteries, noting that it is the largest material component by volume in every electric vehicle battery. He explained that most graphite currently comes from petroleum-based sources, whereas CarbonScape’s technology offers a proven method for producing battery-grade graphite from forestry residues at competitive costs while achieving a carbon-negative footprint. He described CATL’s investment as a strong validation of the company’s technology and long-term commercial potential.
Strong Backing from Strategic Investors
Blake Niu, Lead Partner at Lochpine Capital, said the investment reflects confidence in CarbonScape’s innovative approach to sustainable graphite production and its potential contribution to the global energy transition.
Juuso Konttinen, Senior Vice President and Head of Growth Business Unit at Stora Enso, an existing strategic shareholder in CarbonScape, emphasized that bringing sustainable anode materials to market requires strong industrial partnerships. He noted that CATL’s investment, combined with Stora Enso’s continued support, creates an integrated value chain spanning sustainably managed forests through to battery manufacturing, strengthening the future supply of low-carbon battery materials.
The partnership marks an important step in advancing renewable graphite production and supports the development of a more resilient, sustainable, and localized battery materials supply chain for the rapidly expanding electric mobility and energy storage sectors.