On March 25, Zeng Yuqun, chairman and general manager of CATL, proposed "open innovation" to drive global sustainable development at the One Earth Summit in Hong Kong. Currently, the global climate is facing severe challenges, with issues such as unbalanced technological development and a slowdown in the energy transition in some regions becoming increasingly prominent. "Humankind has never needed to reach a global consensus as much as it does today," Zeng said. "We must truly reach a consensus and promote technological progress through open innovation to actively address the challenges of climate change."
Reports show that CATL is actively pursuing open innovation that combines inward and outward approaches. On one hand, it is continuously increasing investment in research and development to explore cutting-edge technologies and advanced solutions. In 2023, the company's total R&D investment reached 18.4 billion yuan, far exceeding industry peers. On the other hand, it is constantly innovating cooperation models, sharing technological achievements externally, and promoting global technological inclusiveness. For example, CATL adopts the LRS (license, authorization, and service) model with customers in the United States, helping OEMs and battery manufacturers quickly establish battery factories. Through technology openness, it is driving the global energy transition and accelerating efforts to address climate change.
It is reported that in April 2023, CATL released its zero-carbon strategy, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality in its core operations by 2025 and across its value chain by 2035. Currently, CATL already has four factories that have achieved carbon neutrality. Additionally, in the circular economy realm, in 2023, CATL recycled 100,000 tons of battery waste and used it to produce 13,000 tons of lithium carbonate.
