Building a Responsible Supply Chain Policy for Battery Energy Storage: A Guidebook for Companies
The dominant energy storage technology being deployed today in vehicle and stationary applications – lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries – has attracted scrutiny for Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) risks associated primarily with labor conditions and environmental impacts in its supply chain. These concerns have given rise to several organizations, initiatives, and resources that provide tools to firms interested in developing and implementing a responsible supply chain policy.
The purposes of this Guidebook are to:
- Explain how responsible supply chain policy fits into broader concepts of ESG considerations;
- Describe the key ESG issues that arise in the lithium ion (Li-ion) battery storage supply chain, and identify some of the organizations and resources that have emerged to help firms address those issues; and
- Illustrate a process a firm can undertake to develop and implement a responsible supply chain policy, along with some of the key considerations and tradeoffs to evaluate while assessing potential objectives and mechanisms.
This Guidebook represents the work of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative (CRI) Task Force convened by ESA, comprised of experts from 60 companies across the energy storage value chain. Look here for more information on previous CRI activities and resources.
