Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) announced today that its Yibin manufacturing base in Sichuan Province has been officially recognized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a Sustainability Lighthouse within the Global Lighthouse Network (GLN). The designation marks a historic milestone, making Yibin the world’s first lithium-ion battery plant to receive this honor.
This latest recognition follows the plant’s earlier designation as a WEF “Lighthouse” for productivity in 2022, positioning Yibin as the first and only facility in the lithium battery industry to be acknowledged for excellence in both productivity and sustainability.
According to the WEF, the Yibin plant achieved industry-leading reductions in energy consumption, carbon emissions, water use, and waste generation by deploying advanced digital and low-carbon solutions aligned with net-zero, decarbonization, and circular economy goals. With this achievement, CATL now holds four Lighthouse certifications, the highest number in the global lithium battery sector, spanning its Ningde (2021), Yibin (2022, 2025), and Liyang (2023) facilities.
In its official evaluation, the WEF highlighted the scale and complexity of the challenge faced by the Yibin site, noting that rapid capacity expansion had intensified carbon emissions, energy use, and supply-chain pressures. To address these issues, the plant implemented a comprehensive transformation combining AI-driven energy management, photovoltaic-storage microgrids, process innovation, and low-carbon product research and development. These measures resulted in a 56 percent reduction in overall carbon footprint and supported 13 upstream suppliers in achieving carbon neutrality certification.
The Yibin facility also demonstrated leadership in intelligent manufacturing and circular practices. Machine-learning-based optimization systems were introduced across energy-intensive production lines, enabling real-time demand forecasting, reduced idle time, and dynamic equipment adjustment. In coating operations, intelligent airflow and fan-frequency controls significantly improved energy efficiency.
In parallel, CATL expanded circular packaging solutions to reduce material use and emissions. Domestically, reusable and standardized racks—managed through Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) lifecycle scheduling—now support all projects. Internationally, advanced simulation tools have been applied to optimize packaging structures, achieving lightweight designs that meet global logistics standards while minimizing environmental impact.
As the first facility globally to be recognized as both a Productivity Lighthouse and a Sustainability Lighthouse, CATL’s Yibin plant has emerged as a benchmark for intelligent, low-carbon manufacturing in the battery industry. Looking ahead, CATL stated it will continue scaling these best practices across its global operations to build a high-quality, efficient, and sustainable manufacturing network.
The Global Lighthouse Network, co-founded by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company, recognizes leading production sites and value chains worldwide that demonstrate exceptional performance in productivity, resilience, sustainability, customer focus, and talent development.
