Sustainable and traceable digital passports for EV battery materials

As battery technologies play an increasing role in the clean energy transition and electric vehicle (EV) adoption grows, ensuring transparency and sustainability across battery supply chains has become critical. Charles Sturt researcher in the Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Futures Centre, Associate Professor Ibrar Yaqoob, undertook two independent, complementary studies in 2025 examining how blockchain technology can help. Study one developed a blockchain-based framework for lithium-ion battery supply chains, using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to tokenise materials and track ownership throughout the lifecycle.

In a related study, a decentralised digital battery passport was proposed for the EV industry using composable NFTs to improve traceability, auditability and standardised data sharing. Sustainability performance across four battery chemistries was assessed using ten key performance indicators, demonstrating how blockchain-enabled digital passports can support environmental and circular economy objectives.