Global Battery Raw Materials

Despite the delay until 2027, the EU Batteries Regulation still includes one of the first regulatory obligations to implement risk-based due diligence in line with OECD frameworks. Profound changes to current practices are expected. About one year before the due diligence obligations' application, learn the latest about the current status of EUBR due diligence, existing practice and risk-based due diligence—practical insights and how to get started—if you haven’t?

Sustainability along the battery value chains, as well as resilient battery ecosystems, are gaining momentum in European ambitions. This talk presents a roadmap for sustainable batteries that builds on the circular economy 9R framework by evaluating technological maturity and market potential while mapping cross-impacts and trade-off among 9R options from research and industry perspectives. It covers raw and refined materials, cell components and cell production, battery system, utilisation and EOL treatment. The roadmap prioritises high-impact and feasible 9R pathways to strengthen European battery resilience and competitiveness and accumulates market assessments, and R&D, industrial, and policy actions.

It’s no secret that many countries aim to reduce dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals by re-shoring their value chains. This presentation analyses how tariff negotiations and strategic trade realignments will impact mining, processing, and assembly of batteries and other products reliant on cobalt, nickel, graphite, lithium, and rare earths across three scenarios—growth, comparative advantage, and technology standardisation—highlighting implications for CFOs, CEOs, and CTOs investing in value chain continuity.

In this presentation, we will delve into the critical trio of battery metals: lithium, cobalt, and graphite. We will explore the current market dynamics for these essential metals, highlighting key trends and providing forecasts for their supply & demand fundamentals and prices.

Chinese LFP producers are able to now use synthesis routes that take lithium chloride/sulphate directly, skipping full carbonate conversion. This lowers project capex, boosts yields, and streamlines logistics—reshaping costs and timelines through the industry. As intermediates proliferate, carbonate’s benchmark role fades, favoring investments in those linked directly to the Chinese value chain and those willing to adapt.

Rapid growth of global lithium-ion battery demand, geopolitical factors, and technological development have a great impact on the lithium-ion battery industry, specifically on raw materials. Heavy investment in the raw materials sector could lead to overcapacity once EV sales' growth is lower than expected. Different types of batteries also could reduce dependency on certain raw materials. Huge fluctuation in raw-materials prices could deeply damage the battery industry and beyond.

This presentation highlights the vital role of innovation in driving sustainable mobility, with SQM at the forefront as the world’s leading lithium producer. We will explore SQM’s commitment to ESG principles, resource-efficient production, and innovative efforts to reduce its footprint. Emphasis will also be placed on SQM’s collaborative work with indigenous communities, focusing on value sharing and co-creation, alongside insights into the growing lithium demand and SQM’s capacity expansion.

The presentation will review recent developments in the global nickel market, covering mine and primary nickel production, usage, and international trade. It will discuss factors likely to influence the market in 2026 and beyond. The analysis will draw on INSG’s monthly data and the short-term forecast discussed and approved by its member countries.

Upcoming innovations in battery chemistries and technologies promise improvements in performance, cost, and battery safety. However, they have the potential to upheave traditional supply chains via new routes and new players. CRU is a leading market intelligence and research covering battery raw materials markets, downstream battery demand, and cost analysis across the battery value chain. This presentation analyses the potential demand for new technologies, including semi-solid, all-solid-state, LMFP, and LMR, and their impact on raw material demand and supply chains.

Cathode active materials (CAM) occupy a pivotal position in lithium-ion battery systems, as they are the single most influential component across all three core design criteria: performance, cost, and CO₂ footprint. Understanding cathode materials—both from a technical and a supply-chain perspective—is therefore essential for anyone working to advance next-generation battery technologies or scale-up sustainable energy storage solutions.

Graphite anode supply diversification is underway. Production volume of graphite from East Africa, particularly Mozambique (Balama), increases underpinning ex-China Anode production. Anode production in USA (Syrah Technologies) continues to grow, as does Indonesian production. Additionally, Korean, Middle East, Indian, and Moroccan production capacity is under construction. In this session we walk through growth and production investment, market dynamics and customer preferences at the Battery cell and NG AAM production levels.

After the Lithium-ion battery industry transitioned at the anode to carbonaceous materials away from lithium metal, sacrificing energy density for safety, various materials were adopted, ultimately concluding in 2002 that graphite offered sufficient technical and economic benefits to be the primary material of choice. Fast forward to 2026 and we have ongoing competition at the anode between synthetic and natural graphite and various forms of silicon-containing materials, as well as a reemergence of lithium. This presentation will provide a coherent projection of the future, based on the presenter’s work of more than 25 years in the anode space.

Supply chain issues facing battery raw materials will be explored in detail, along with extraction and processing costs of midstream battery materials and downstream battery cells. As downstream production ramps in Europe and North America this decade, underlying supply chains will become stretched, opening the door for challenge but also opportunity. These themes and an overall market-demand outlook for the sector will be presented.

Europe’s battery sector faces limited local production and heavy reliance on imports from Asia. Kemira, with over a century of experience in chemistry and proven expertise in metal salts for water treatment, is applying this knowledge to develop sustainable iron-based materials for battery applications such as LFP. This presentation will discuss how Kemira’s portfolio and R&D enable regional production and strengthen Europe’s position in the global battery market.