Nature Positive Role of the Automotive Sector

To support the connection and sharing of data in the automotive sector, companies across the value chain, including BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Group, collaborated to launch the open data ecosystem Catena-X in 2021. In the past, many OEMs and first-tier suppliers built their own digital platforms for data exchange with their partner networks. Each partner in the network had to deal with a variety of different systems, standards and approaches, which restricted scalability and multi-tier collaboration. As a result, a new collaborative network approach was necessary to address these shortcomings. The Catena-X network aims to cultivate interoperability across all stages of data-based value chains in order to build resilient supply chains and support systematic decarbonization. Companies can exchange data with other network participants in a way that is standardized, secure and simple, based on the principle of data sovereignty. Solutions are being implemented in the system over time to facilitate common goals, supported by common standards for use. Use cases currently in development include traceability of components, environmental and social governance (ESG) monitoring, product carbon footprint calculation, circularity and digital product passports. Use cases like circularity and digital product passports will also allow automotive manufacturers to track the life cycle of a car’s battery, from production to EOL. When the battery reaches the end of its useful life in a vehicle, this will enable it to be reused in stationary energy storage applications or recycled to recover valuable materials like lithium and cobalt, closing the loop on battery resources. The Catena-X association is now supported by 189 partners who have the opportunity to participate in developing standards and use cases, and after the initial concept was developed in Germany, it is now being expanded to Europe, North America and Asia (including China).CASE STUDY 3 Harnessing data systems in the automotive value chain Nature Positive: Role of the Automotive Sector 38