From electrode to regulation: perspectives on sustainable battery value chains.

Batteries are widely recognised as a cornerstone of the clean energy transition, enabling the electrification of transport, the integration of renewable energy, and the decarbonisation of economies. Yet the rapid expansion of battery production and deployment raises complex questions concerning resource use, environmental sustainability, global supply chains, and societal responsibility.

This webinar brings together perspectives from materials science and law to explore some of the less-discussed challenges associated with batteries. Drawing on research in battery materials and manufacturing, the discussion will examine how mainstreaming battery technologies and innovation intersect with evolving legal and regulatory frameworks. Particular attention will be given to the broader environmental implications of scaling up battery production to meet the demands of the clean energy transition.

By bringing together expertise from both disciplines, the webinar asks a timely question: how should regulators respond to the challenge of governing battery value chains when the ecological effects of large-scale deployment are still emerging and, in some cases, uncertain?

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Speakers

Stan Zankowski is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford, where he develops techniques for mapping polymeric binders in Li-ion battery electrodes and binder-informed optimisation of battery manufacturing. He obtained joint industrial-academic PhD in materials electrochemistry from imec and KU Leuven in Belgium (2019), MSc in Nanotechnology at the University of Barcelona (2013) and worked as a Young Graduate Trainee at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands (2014). With more than 10 years of Li-ion battery research experience, Stan’s output includes 10 research papers and 7 patents covering batteries, water electrolysis, electrochemistry and materials surface chemistry. His latest work on binder mapping has been recognized with two conference awards (MRS Spring 2023 and ECS PRiME 2024) and is currently being tested by several industrial partners.

Emilia Taimi is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Lapland specializing in the governance and regulation of energy transition technologies. Her research focuses on the evolving EU regulatory landscape surrounding batteries, circularity, and corporate responsibility, while critically examining the ecological consequences of their large-scale deployment. More broadly, her work investigates how law can respond to the systemic uncertainties and global risks shaping contemporary environmental and societal transitions. Before joining academia, Emilia served as a Legal Advisor at the Finnish Energy Authority, where she worked on regulatory issues related to renewable energy and the clean energy transition.

The webinar will be moderated by Sirja-Leena Penttinen, Associate Professor of Law and Sustainability Transitions, Faculty of Law, University of Lapland.

Funding and related projects

The organisers gratefully acknowledge funding from the Research Council of Finland and the Strategic Research Council of Finland through the following research projects:

BATRACE – Between a rock and hard place in the battery arms race: towards a global
governance framework supporting resilience and sustainability of the battery value chain
in the realisation of the green energy transition (decision no. 363808);

2IMATCH – Infrastructure/institutions match for resilient & just green electrification (decision no. 366054);

ATLAS – Transformative Law for Sustainability in the Arctic (decision no. 352881).

The organisers also acknowledge funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the project AKILIT: Circular economy of batteries – future value chains, business models, technology, and legislation

The webinar is organised by the researchers from the Law, Technology and Sustainability Transitions (LOST) research group (Emilia Taimi, Sirja-Leena Penttinen and Postdoctoral Researcher Jouko Nuottila from the AKILIT project).