Quick answer
The Global Battery Alliance ran its largest operational Battery Passport trials to date, covering upstream lithium site evidence and downstream supplier data. This page summarises the first results and what they mean for battery value chains.
Who this is for: Battery, automotive and mining teams preparing for the EU Battery Regulation and Battery Passport requirements.
See supply chain due diligence →Sustainability data in battery value chains is moving from reporting to operational infrastructure. The Global Battery Alliance has published the first results of its 2026 Battery Passport Operational Trials, the largest in the programme’s history: 17 consortia, 40 organisations, and cell manufacturers covering around 80% of global battery production.
beSirius powered two of the seventeen consortia, one led by Rio Tinto and one led by Panasonic. Here is what that means for the Battery Passport, and for anyone preparing for EU Batteries Regulation due diligence.
TL;DR
First results of the 2026 GBA Battery Passport Operational Trials are out, the largest round yet, with 17 consortia, 40 organisations, and cell makers covering around 80% of global battery production.
The trials tested whether sustainability data can move across real battery value chains and stay usable at every step: data exchange, traceability, carbon footprint and readiness for the EU Batteries Regulation.
beSirius powered two consortia. One led by Rio Tinto, testing lithium site evidence on beSirius for EU Batteries Regulation readiness and Battery Passport scoring. The other led by Panasonic, together with Tesla and Novandino (SQM + Codelco), moving supplier data across the cell value chain with independent verification by Bureau Veritas.
Full verified results arrive in September. The Battery Passport launches in 2027, the year the EU Batteries Regulation’s due diligence obligations take effect.
What the trials proved
The 2026 trials ran the GBA Battery Passport on real operational data rather than pilot samples. Consortia measured sites against the GBA Battery Benchmarks, exchanged data through Digital Product Passport technology aligned to the UN Transparency Protocol, and put a prototype battery certification through third-party verification.
In short, the industry tested whether sustainability data can move across a real value chain and stay usable at every step. In both consortia powered by beSirius, it did, on the Twin.
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What ran on beSirius
beSirius was the digital solutions provider in two of the seventeen consortia, covering both ends of the value chain.
Upstream, Rio Tinto tested evidence from its lithium sites on beSirius, assessing preparedness for EU Batteries Regulation requirements and the scoring methodology of the Battery Passport.
Downstream, Panasonic together with Tesla and Novandino (SQM + Codelco) moved supplier data across the cell value chain, running sustainability assessments and carbon footprint calculations with suppliers, with independent verification by Bureau Veritas as auditors. We shared this story on LinkedIn.
Downstream and upstream, value chain defining companies, pulling in the same direction.
From the published results. The GBA’s milestone for the Rio Tinto consortium: “Evaluated third-party standards and manual reporting from lithium sites using automated tools from beSirius to assess preparedness for EU Batteries Regulation requirements and the robustness of GBA Battery Passport scoring methodology.”
Rio Tinto also shared the trial on LinkedIn, calling beSirius its technology partner and crediting the work for demonstrating how greater transparency can be achieved across battery value chains. Read their post here.
Why this matters for battery due diligence
The EU Batteries Regulation (EU 2023/1542) requires supply chain due diligence for lithium, cobalt, nickel and natural graphite, plus carbon footprint disclosures, and its obligations take effect in 2027. The GBA Battery Benchmarks, which the trials ran against, are mapped article by article against the regulation.
So a consortium that completed the trials has in effect rehearsed the exact evidence chain the regulation will demand: site-level evidence, supplier data that moves downstream, and third-party verification. The companies that ran it in 2026 will not be improvising in 2027.
What happens next
Full verified results arrive in September, with case studies and dashboards of third-party verified data over the second half of 2026. The Battery Passport and its certification scheme launch in 2027. See the 2026 Battery Passport Pilots results on globalbattery.org.
We shared the stories on LinkedIn as well. Read the beSirius announcement of the Rio Tinto trial here, and follow beSirius on LinkedIn for the September results. The story of the Panasonic, Tesla and Novandino trial is here.
The infrastructure behind it
In both consortia the work ran on the Twin, the infrastructure layer that turns facility evidence into structured, reusable intelligence for frameworks, counterparties and decisions. beSirius runs a Twin against a chosen framework, whether Battery Passport scoring or EU Batteries Regulation readiness, and returns the gap analysis. This is how the next generation of supply chains will run: interoperable sustainability data, built like infrastructure.
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FAQ
What are the GBA Battery Passport Operational Trials?
They are industry-wide trials run by the Global Battery Alliance in 2026 to test how the Battery Passport and battery certification can be implemented across real value chains using real operational data. This year’s round involved 17 consortia and 40 organisations, the largest in the programme’s history.
What role did beSirius play?
beSirius powered two of the seventeen consortia. One led by Rio Tinto, where lithium site evidence was tested on beSirius for EU Batteries Regulation readiness and Battery Passport scoring. The other led by Panasonic, together with Tesla and Novandino (SQM + Codelco), where supplier data moved across the cell value chain with sustainability assessments and carbon footprint calculations, independently verified by Bureau Veritas as auditors. In the trials announcement, Rio Tinto named beSirius its technology partner.
When will the GBA Battery Passport launch?
The GBA aims to launch the Battery Passport and its certification scheme in 2027. Full verified trial results are expected in September 2026, with case studies and verified data dashboards published over the second half of 2026.
How do the trials connect to the EU Batteries Regulation?
The regulation mandates supply chain due diligence for key battery minerals and carbon footprint disclosures. The GBA Battery Benchmarks are mapped against the regulation’s articles, so trial participants were in effect testing their regulatory readiness.
Is the GBA Battery Passport the same as the EU’s battery passport requirement?
No. The GBA Battery Passport is a voluntary sustainability certification scheme built on digital product passport technology aligned with the UN Transparency Protocol. Companies use it to prepare for the regulation’s requirements.
