Article Dans Une Revue International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment Année : 2025

Inconsistencies in handling of multifunctionality in the environmental footprint of electric vehicle batteries: a cross-industry analysis

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Purpose: With the increasing importance of sustainable development, reflected in various policies, life cycle assessment (LCA) guidelines for different industries and materials have emerged in recent years, mainly linked to batteries and their raw materials. This paper analyses the inconsistency between different industries’ LCA guidelines, their practical implications and the potential way forward. Methods: In this publication, we analyse LCA guidelines for four key battery raw materials, namely lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper. We linked the materials to their relevant applications and industries, focusing on the multifunctionality handling in the different industries. The analysis considers two types of multifunctionality handling: co-production and recycling end-of-life treatment. We determine the consistency within and between applications and industries, as well as along supply chains from the material to the product, and analyse the implications of inconsistencies quantitatively and qualitatively. Based on the analysis results, we discuss key consistency checks needed in the future and potential pathways towards more consistency based on an influence–interest analysis of the involved industries regarding potential standardisation processes. Results and discussion: The analysis shows inconsistencies in the multifunctionality handling within and between applications and industries, as well as along supply chains. The discrepancies can lead to a variation of the climate change impacts per kilogram of material of up to a factor of five. Potential developments towards more consistency could be driven bottom-up by the metal associations or top-down by the different industries or as a combination of both. Attention is needed regarding the upcoming mandatory LCA guideline for batteries in the EU market. For overall consistency, international industries would need to align with this guideline. Until consistency is reached, transparency on methodological aspects, potential inconsistencies and their implications is crucial. Conclusions: Multifunctionality handling is only one relevant consensus aspect for which this comparison must be made between various applications and industries. Other aspects are, for example, electricity modelling and impact assessment methods. An extension of this work is needed to cover all potential inconsistencies and guide future standardisation. This could be supported by further analysis of possible pathways and the development of guidance for a consensus process towards standardisation.

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hal-05173649 , version 1 (21-07-2025)

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Jana Husmann, Stephen Northey, Antoine Beylot, Steffen Blömeke, Christoph Herrmann. Inconsistencies in handling of multifunctionality in the environmental footprint of electric vehicle batteries: a cross-industry analysis. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2025, 30 (7), pp.1560-1578. ⟨10.1007/s11367-025-02506-y⟩. ⟨hal-05173649⟩
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