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How can relevant data from batteries be digitally recorded, linked, and made usable for informed decisions along the entire value chain? In practice, data on battery composition, environmental impacts, and optimal recycling pathways are often incomplete or inconsistent. This is where the new publicly funded research project “DiVaBatt – Digital Value Chain Resource Planning” for circular battery cell production, which started on February 1, 2026, comes in.
The aim of the joint project is to create transparency in the battery value chain through digital and AI-supported solutions, thereby enabling a sustainable, economical, and regulation-compliant battery circular economy. The project started with collaborative kick-off meeting of all partners on February 3 and 4, 2026, in Hamburg.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST plays a central role in the “DiVaBatt” project by developing AI-supported Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) for operational decision-making processes along the battery value chain. The aim is to make environmental assessments available automatically and in near real time to guide production and recycling decisions.
To achieve this, Fraunhofer IST is developing standard-compliant, AI-supported approaches for (partially) automated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), enabling the consistent quantification and comparison of the potential environmental impacts of batteries and their recycling processes. In parallel, a scalable knowledge infrastructure with training and transfer formats is being established to support small and medium-sized enterprises in particular in meeting regulatory requirements such as the EU Battery Regulation.
Digital transparency for the entire battery life cycle
The overall goal of “DiVaBatt” is to establish a platform that combines transparency in the battery circular economy with economic management and sustainability assessment. By linking manufacturer, collection, and recycling data, material information, and corporate IT systems, material and information flows will be optimized. This will support efficient compliance with the German Battery Implementation Act (BattDG) and lay the foundation for the future mandatory digital battery passport. As a result, valuable raw materials can be recovered more selectively, recycling processes can be managed more efficiently, and environmental potentials can be better leveraged.
In addition to Fraunhofer IST, the consortium includes GRS – Gemeinsames Rücknahmesystem Servicegesellschaft mbH as the lead partner and synalis GmbH & Co. KG. Together, the consortium covers all relevant technological, environmental, and regulatory aspects of the battery circular economy.
Far-reaching prospects for industry and the climate
With a term running until January 2029, “DiVaBatt” will make an important contribution to the digital transformation of the circular economy in Germany. The modular and scalable solutions developed in the project can be transferred beyond the battery sector to other industries in the circular economy. The project thus not only strengthens the innovative capacity of both industry and small and medium-sized enterprises, but also supports national and European climate goals through higher resource efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions.
https://www.ist.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/2026/ai-supported-life-cycle-assess...
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