Closing Event

From Concept to Blueprint:

Battery Passports as Enablers of Transparent, Competitive, and Circular Value Chains.

BatteryPass Closing Event the Square

Shape the future of Digital Product Passports!

 

After three years of innovative research and development, the Battery Pass Closing Event hosted in Brussels on 25 February 2025 offered a unique opportunity to explore the advancements that are shaping the Battery Passport in Europe and beyond.

Leaders from industry, policy, and science shared insights and connected over presentations, panel discussions and interactive sessions.

In addition to hosting around 150 participants, the event was live streamed, and video recorded.

The agenda below provides links to the video recording of each session, as well as the possibility to download the presentations.

Agenda

Watch the videos and read through the presentations

Block 1

09:30 – 11:15

Big picture: Transitioning to sustainable battery systems

Time

Topics

Type

Speakers
09:30 Opening Remarks:
The Vision Behind Battery Pass

downloadGet the Presentation
videocamWatch the recording
 Welcome Tilmann Vahle, Systemiq
Michael Kellner, BMWK
09:45 Policy in Action:
Driving Digital Product Passports for Europe’s Green Economy

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 Keynote Dr. Amaryllis Verhoeven, DG GROW
European Commission
10:00 Systems Change for a Competitive Future:
The Case for Digital Enablers of the Energy Turnaround

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 Keynote Ke Wang, World Resources Institute
10:15 Battery Pass: Key Insights and Impacts

downloadGet the Presentation
videocamWatch the recording
 Presentation Tilmann Vahle, Systemiq
10:30 Policy Pathways:
What’s Next for Digital Product Passports?

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 Panel Moderator: Julia Poliscanova, Transport & Environment
Silke Obst, DG GROW European Commission
Dr. Holger Berg, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment & Energy
Ilka von Dalwigk, RECHARGE
Ellen Carey, Circulor

Block 2

11:45 – 13:00

How collaboration and standardisation drive progress for battery passports

Time

Topics

Type

Speakers
11:45 Content Guidance for Battery Passports:
Practical Tools for Implementation

downloadGet the Presentation
videocamWatch the recording
 Presentation Dr. Johannes Simböck, acatech
Dr. Torsten Freund, BASF
12:00 From Concept to Demonstration:
The Technology Behind Battery Passports

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 Presentation Patrick Gering, Fraunhofer IPK
Niko D’Agostino, Circulor
12:15 Collaboration and standardisation:
Keys to success for battery passports

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 Panel Moderator: Benjamin Helfritz, DIN
Dr. Thomas Knothe, Fraunhofer IPK
Tim Salatzki, ZIV – German Bicycle Industry
Dr. Kerstin Sann-Ferro, DKE Group
Kaisa Toroskainen, Global Battery Alliance

Block 3

14:30 – 16:00

What’s next for businesses

Time

Topics

Type

Speakers
14:30 The Economic Case for Battery Passports:
Unlocking the Value of the EU Battery Passport
downloadGet the Presentation

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 Presentation Dr. Sven Jantzen, Umicore
Canan Köllner, Systemiq 
14:45 Impact Stories:
Learning from Digital Product Passport Success Stories

downloadGet the Circulor & Volvo Presentation
downloadGet the Path.era Presentation
downloadGet the CIRPASS2 Presentation
videocamWatch the recording
 Pitches Circulor & Volvo: Douglas Johnson-Poensgen, Circulor
Path.era: Dr. Matthias Dohrn, BASF
CIRPASS2: Carolynn Bernier, CIRPASS
15:05 Taking the Lead:
How Businesses Can Prepare for 2027

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 Panel Moderator: Sophie Herrmann, Systemiq
Dr. Franz Geyer, ACEA
Pierluca Cialoni, ACEM
Patrick Heininger, Smart Battery Solutions
Nils Steinbrecher, SK tes Sustainable Battery Solutions
15:50 Shaping the Future:
Conclusions and Next Steps

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 Keynote Tilmann Vahle, Systemiq
Kristin Lambrecht, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union

Q&A from panel discussions

During the Battery Pass closing event, participants in the room and online shared many more questions via Slido than we were able to answer during the three panel sessions. Here we share detailed responses to those questions.

downloadDownload the Pdf

Foto Gallery

The best moments of the closing event
© Simon Pugh

Watch the live stream

Enjoy the recording from the Closing Event

Speakers

Navigate through the carousel to meet our speakers

Dr. Amaryllis Verhoeven

Acting Director – Textiles, Digital Transformation of Industry and Social Economy, DG GROW, Directorate General
European Commission

Dr. Amaryllis Verhoeven is Acting Director and Head of Unit at DG GROW, European Commission, with expertise in industrial policy, digitalisation, energy, and governance. She is a visiting lecturer at KU Leuven and formerly an attorney at Cleary Gottlieb in Brussels and New York. Holding a Ph.D. in law and political philosophy from KU Leuven, she speaks regularly on EU economic policies.

Canan Köllner

Project Manager, Systemiq

Canan is a project manager at Systemiq, leading the Battery Pass Consortium. She has managed Circular Economy projects, focusing on circular materials, transparent supply chains, and sustainable packaging. Canan has collaborated with organizations like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Consumer Goods Forum. She brings practical experience from the automotive sector, having worked both on the OEM and supplier side.

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Carolynn Bernier

Research Engineer, CEA

Carolynn Bernier, a computer engineer and researcher at CEA, has 20+ years of experience in integrated circuit design for IoT and wireless communications. Her work focuses on smart embedded systems and circular digital technologies. She coordinated the CIRPASS consortium, shaping the vision for Digital Product Passports, and now leads CIRPASS-2, driving large-scale DPP pilots across multiple sectors.

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Douglas Johnson-Poengsen

CEO, Circulor

Douglas Johnson-Poensgen is founder and CEO of Circulor. Circulor’s platform brings traceability to complex industrial supply chains, to underpin manufacturers responsible and sustainable sourcing efforts, measure inherited scope 3 emissions in real time and to produce digital product passports. Doug has 30 years international experience working both in leadership roles for large corporates as well as starting and growing companies.

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Ellen Carey

Chief External Affairs Officer, Circulor

Ellen Carey is Chief External Affairs Officer at Circulor, promoting supply chain transparency. With 15+ years in clean energy, she’s held senior roles at Samsung, Audi of America, SAFE, and others. Ellen earned a political science degree from Villanova University and lives in Munich, Germany.

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Franz Geyer

Head of Strategy and Technologies Zero Emission, Leader TF DPP at ACEA, BMW AG

Franz Geyer holds a PhD degree in materials, process, and electrical engineering. He joined BMW in 2004 and held various management positions in Process Technology, Competitive Analysis, Pedestrian Safety, Electrified Powertrain, R&D Funding and Collaboration. In 2018 he became the Head of Strategy Zero Emissions Mobility and R&D Collaboration. From 2024, he took the position of Head of Strategy and Technologies Zero Emission at BMW AG.

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Dr. Holger Berg

Vice Director, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy GMBH

Dr. Holger Berg is Vice Director of the Circular Economy Division and Co-Head of the Digital Transformation Research Unit at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy gGmbH. His research interests focus on the opportunities and influences of the digital transformation on sustainable development, especially with regard to enabling circular economy. A specific interest are Digital Product Passports and Circular Economy Data Ecosystems.

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Ilka von Dalwigk

Director General, Recharge

Ilka von Dalwigk recently joined Recharge as Director General. Previously, she served as Policy and Market Intelligence Manager at EIT Innoenergy, working on the EBA’s industrial development program since 2017, with a focus on sustainability and supply chains. She built a key stakeholder network along the battery value chain and helped shape EU battery market recommendations. In 2024, she received BEPA’s Battery Star Award for her contributions.

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Johannes Simboeck

Division Manager, acatech

Johannes has been with acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering, since 2018, holding various roles in the context of circular economy, energy and ressources. As of June 2024, he is the Division Manager for ‘Transformation of the Business Environment’ and Team Lead for BatteryPass, leading workstreams on required data attributes.

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Julia Poliscanova

Senior Director, Vehicles & Emobility Supply Chains, Transport & Environment (T&E)

Julia leads T&E’s work on vehicle electrification, emissions, sustainable batteries, and critical raw materials across Europe. She represents T&E on the Global Battery Alliance board and advises Vulcan Energy Resources. Previously, she worked for the Mayor of London and an MEP on energy and transport policies. With a background in EU policy, renewables, and sustainable transport, she specializes in regulatory frameworks for clean mobility and supply chains.

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Kaisa Toroskainen

Programme Manager, Global Battery Alliance (GBA)

Kaisa leads the GBA’s Battery Passport ESG indicators and critical minerals work. With 10+ years in ESG for mineral supply chains, she has advised governments, companies, and civil society on compliance, working with GIZ and the Natural Resource Governance Institute. She holds an MSc in Global Politics from LSE and an MSc in Management from the Helsinki School of Economics.

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Ke Wang

Global Lead, Energy Minerals and Circularity, World Resources Institute

Ke leads WRI’s “Energy Minerals and Circularity” program, tackling the need for energy transition minerals responsibly. She serves on steering committees for the Global Battery Alliance and IRENA Coalition for Action. Formerly Program Director of PACE, she led European projects like Horizon2020 CIRCUSOL and drove tech innovation in the private sector. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford and an Executive MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.

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Dr. Kerstin Sann-Ferro

Standardization manager, DKE

Dr. Kerstin Sann-Ferro is a standardization manager at DKE (VDE), overseeing committees K 371 and K 372 on primary and secondary battery standards. She represents Germany in CLC and IEC work and serves as a battery safety expert at VDE. With a chemistry background from Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, she previously researched electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries.

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Kristin Lambrecht

Attaché for Internal Market, Industry and Technical Harmonisation, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union

Kristin Lambrecht is Attaché for Internal Market, Industry & Technical Harmonisation at the German Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. With a law background and extensive experience at the Federal Ministries for Economy, Energy, and Environment, she specializes in legal affairs, EU policy, and technical harmonisation.

Dr. Matthias Dohrn

President Global Procurement, BASF

Dr. Matthias Dohrn is President of Global Procurement at BASF. His career spans areas such as finance, precious metals, battery base metals, and recycling, with experience in Germany, South Africa, and the U.S. He studied Economics at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and earned his PhD from Leibniz University Hannover.

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Michael Kellner

Member of the German Bundestag and Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

Michael Kellner is Member of the German Bundestag and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action since 2021. Since January 2022, he is Federal Government Commissioner for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

Niko D’Agostino

Programme Director, Circulor

Niko D’Agostino is leading Work Package 4 of the Battery Passport project and was responsible for driving the development of the Battery Passport Demonstrator. Prior to Circulor, he held various positions in business development and innovation management on Digital Factory and Industry 4.0 research. In his current role he sees himself as a passionate advocate for sustainability by digitalization of industrial value chains.

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Nils Steinbrecher

Managing Director, TES Sustainable Battery Solutions GmbH

Nils holds an MSc in Business Administration & Electrical Engineering (Wirtschaftsingenieur). Master’s thesis at Hong Kong University on sustainable transport. Managing TES Sustainable Battery Solutions GmbH, leading EMEA strategy for SK Group (SK Ecoplant). Formerly led VDE Renewables’ APAC Battery Testing. 15+ years in APAC & Europe on sustainability, energy, and EHS with ERM, DuPont, and others. Passionate about building a sustainable future.

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Patrick Gering

Deputy Head of Department, Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology

Patrick Gering is Deputy Head of Business Process and Factory Management at Fraunhofer IPK, leading software development for process and factory management systems. With a background in Industrial Engineering, he has experience in enterprise modeling and digitalisation across sectors like automotive and healthcare. As a key contributor to the Battery Pass project, he defines technical requirements and architecture for the EU Digital Product Passport system.

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Patrick Heininger

Product manager, Smart Battery Solutions GmbH

Patrick Heininger holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. His journey with lithium-ion batteries began in 2010 with his thesis on resistance welding for battery cells. Since then, he has been actively involved in advancing lithium battery technologies in various roles. As a Product Manager at SBS, Patrick focuses on developing ready-to-use battery solutions for industrial integration in scooters, robots, and other vehicles.

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Pierluca Cialoni

Regulatory Officer, ACEM – The Motorcycle Industry in Europe

Pierluca Cialoni joined ACEM in 2024 as Regulatory Officer, focusing on technical developments to enhance motorcycle safety and sustainability under Vision2030+. Previously, he worked at Brembo as a Design Engineer and Product Regulations Expert, specialising in brake systems and regulatory compliance for two- and three-wheel vehicles. He holds a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy.

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Silke Obst

Deputy Head of Unit, GROW G4 – Data and Knowledge for Policy, Business and People

Silke Obst is deputy head in DG GROW, responsible for the Digital Product Passport (DPP) and other digital projects. A German and French-qualified lawyer, she bridges legal and technical fields. Previously, she served in the cabinets of Commissioners Violeta Bulc and Dacian Cioloş and led financial services antitrust in DG Competition, with extensive experience in competition and corporate law.

Sophie Hermann

Partner, Systemiq

Sophie Herrmann, Partner and Germany MD at Systemiq´s Circular Materials Platform, specialises in circular economy strategies. An expert in consulting, sustainability, and resource management, she has advised on CE models, digital product passports, packaging, and chemicals. In addition, Sophie is an active speaker, panellist and jury member and holds degrees from Freie Universität Berlin and Université de Montreal.

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Sven Jantzen

Director Government Affairs, Umicore AG

Sven, holds a PhD in Chemistry, joined Umicore in 1999 and has held global leadership roles in sales, innovation, and strategic management. He led Umicore’s global commercial excellence program for six years and now serves as Director of Government Affairs in Germany. A passionate marketer and strategist, he focuses on empowering people and driving organisational growth through smart, reality-based concepts.

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Tilmann Vahle

Director, Sustainable Automotive and Batteries, Systemiq

Tilmann Vahle is Director for Sustainable Automotive and Batteries at Systemiq, a globally operating consultancy and think tank whose 400 colleagues are dedicated entirely to high ambition environmental sustainability action. Having studied and worked in clean mobility topics for over a decade, Tilmann led the Circular Economy Initiative’s batteries work stream and founded the Battery Pass consortium. He previously held positions at EY sustainability and Volkswagen Corporate Foresight.

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Tim Salatzki

CTO – Director Technology & Standardization, ZIV – The German Bicycle Industry

Tim Salatzki, CTO at ZIV, is an Automotive Engineer (Dipl.-Ing.) with 15 years of experience in bicycle standardization and regulation. He oversees bicycle technology topics, leads ZIV’s internal committees, and convenes all bicycle-related standardization at DIN. Tim also contributes to European and international standardization efforts and regulatory activities at German and EU levels.

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Dr. Torsten Freund

Director Global Procurement and Head of Project Management “ChemX”, BASF SE

Dr. Torsten Freund leads the PMO for ChemX Project and is a pioneer in Digital Product Passports. He played a key role in the Global Battery Alliance’s Battery Passport program (2020–2023), delivering its first proof of concept. With BASF since 1996, he has held technical, marketing, and strategic roles. He holds a PhD in Chemistry and Material Science and contributes to various DPP projects and standardisation efforts.

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Zackes Brustik

Podcast-Host, Moderator, GEWINNE ZUKUNFT podcast

Zackes Brustik is a leading voice on sustainable business in Germany, having interviewed over 100 sustainability pioneers and held 1,000+ expert talks. He hosts the GEWINNE ZUKUNFT podcast, a top B2B sustainability platform in the DACH region, and shares insights with 24,000+ LinkedIn followers. He also moderates industry events and podcasts with global experts on the energy transition.

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