Quick answer
The Global Battery Alliance ran its largest operational Battery Passport trials to date, covering upstream lithium site evidence and downstream supplier data. The GBA published the 2026 Operational Trials results on 16 September 2026. This page summarises what was published and what it means for battery value chains.
Who this is for: Battery, automotive and mining teams preparing for the EU Battery Regulation and Battery Passport requirements.
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.
The GBA published the 2026 Operational Trials results on 16 September 2026, including consortium dashboards. The Battery Passport and its certification scheme launch in 2027, the year the EU Batteries Regulation’s due diligence obligations take effect.
Trial at a glance
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Participants | Rio Tinto (lead, upstream consortium); Panasonic (lead), Tesla and Novandino (SQM + Codelco) (downstream consortium); Bureau Veritas as independent auditor |
| Programme | Global Battery Alliance (GBA) Battery Passport, 2026 Operational Trials |
| What was tested | Site evidence and supplier data measured against the GBA Battery Benchmarks, exchanged via Digital Product Passport technology aligned to the UN Transparency Protocol, with a prototype certification put through third-party verification |
| Value-chain scope | Upstream lithium site evidence (Rio Tinto) and downstream supplier data across the cell value chain (Panasonic, Tesla, Novandino) |
| Role of beSirius | Digital solutions provider for two of the seventeen consortia, running evidence and data on the Twin |
| Outcome | Results published by the GBA on 16 September 2026. For the Rio Tinto consortium, the GBA records that lithium-site evidence was evaluated using automated tools from beSirius; for Panasonic, the GBA published dashboards for lithium, cobalt, nickel and natural graphite (GBA results) |
What was tested
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.
Start your Battery Passport readiness
Try now
Get a structured profile of your site built from public data, ready for GBA Battery Passport scoring and EU Batteries Regulation readiness.
What beSirius provided
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.” See the Rio Tinto section of the GBA results.
For the Panasonic consortium, the GBA has published operational results dashboards for lithium, cobalt, nickel and natural graphite.
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.
What the trial demonstrated
In both beSirius-powered consortia, data moved across a real value chain and stayed usable at every step: from site-level evidence to Battery Passport scoring, and from supplier data to independent verification by Bureau Veritas. Rio Tinto credited the work for demonstrating how greater transparency can be achieved across battery value chains, calling beSirius its technology partner.
At programme level, the GBA reports that 40 organisations took part and that participating cell manufacturers represented around 80% of global cell production. Real battery value chains were tested end to end: companies tested data exchange, traceability, carbon footprint reporting, supplier due diligence and third-party verification. Several consortia traced their supply chains to mine level, and the GBA found that verified or aggregated results could move downstream even when sensitive source evidence remained with the facility or local verifier (World Economic Forum; GBA results).
What the published results now show
Programme level. The GBA and the World Economic Forum article by the GBA Executive Director describe the trials as an end-to-end test of the Battery Passport across real value chains, from mapping supply chains and calculating carbon footprints to exchanging data and compiling verified dashboards. Not every consortium completed every step, but verified or aggregated results were able to move downstream while sensitive source evidence stayed with the facility or local verifier (World Economic Forum).
beSirius-specific consortium work. In the Rio Tinto consortium, the GBA records that third-party standards and manual reporting from lithium sites were evaluated using automated tools from beSirius, to assess preparedness for EU Batteries Regulation requirements and the robustness of the GBA Battery Passport scoring methodology (GBA, Rio Tinto section). For the Panasonic consortium, the GBA has published operational results dashboards across lithium, cobalt, nickel and natural graphite (Panasonic dashboards).
The GBA notes that the trials used developmental, draft methodologies, and that the results should not be interpreted as conclusions on, or comparative rankings of, the sustainability performance of participating companies or their products.
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
The GBA launched the 2026 Operational Trials results on 16 September 2026. It is now using the lessons from the trials to refine the framework ahead of the launch of the Battery Passport and its certification scheme 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 further updates. 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.
Try now
Start with your company profile.
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. The GBA published the 2026 Operational Trials results, including consortium dashboards, on 16 September 2026, and is using them to refine the framework before launch.
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.
