{"id":22318,"date":"2022-02-14T15:35:21","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T15:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=22318"},"modified":"2022-06-15T10:34:48","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T09:34:48","slug":"voice-global-lithium-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/voice-global-lithium-industry\/22318\/","title":{"rendered":"The International Lithium Association: The voice of the global lithium industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
We are living through an energy revolution as the world transitions towards net zero carbon. Lithium is key to this change, and the market is already experiencing unprecedented growth.<\/p>\n
It seems that in the last year, the element lithium (Li) has rarely been out of the news because of its critical role in electric vehicles (EVs). The global transport revolution from petrol and diesel vehicles towards EVs has pushed demand for lithium-ion batteries to never-before-seen levels, an increase matched only by interest from regulators, end-users and civil society. Against this backdrop of rapid growth, the leading lithium producers came together to create a new industry association to support a sustainable, responsibly sourced lithium value chain.<\/p>\n
Rechargeable lithium batteries are becoming ubiquitous, providing safe, reliable power wherever and whenever needed. Of the many applications for lithium batteries, EVs and energy storage solutions (ESS) stand out as the largest and fastest-growing sectors, driven by the worldwide shift from conventional fossil-fuelled vehicles towards cleaner forms of transport and energy use.<\/p>\n
Driven by the growth in worldwide EV production, in particular, demand for lithium is increasing rapidly and is likely to become six times larger by 2040, according to Wood Mackenzie, a leading market analyst. If coal powered the 19th century and crude oil defined the 20th, then the 21st shows every sign of becoming the \u2018lithium century\u2019.<\/p>\n
Despite the critical importance of lithium to so many applications, the lithium industry lacked a trade association to provide a central voice until very recently.<\/p>\n
This was unusual since almost every industry, from accountants to car makers, has non-profit trade associations, and raw materials are no exception. They exist because the benefits an association can bring are numerous, ranging from networking with peers and sharing best practices to providing material stewardship and addressing common challenges efficiently and effectively.<\/p>\n
A successful association is the centre of its industry, acting as an ambassador for its members\u2019 interests, providing a trusted source of information, and offering a place where the community can meet (always conscious of antitrust conditions, of course).<\/p>\n
The lithium industry was aware of this, of course, but prior attempts to create a lithium association had not met with success, arguably due to the small number of companies that have historically produced lithium.<\/p>\n
The lithium market changed radically in the second half of the 2010s as the rise of Tesla in the United States coincided with concerted government policy promoting EVs in China. As EVs became mainstream, the demand for battery raw materials, including nickel, cobalt and lithium, grew proportionally.<\/p>\n
In response to the growing market, the lithium industry increased production and a plethora of companies looked to develop new projects. By 2021 the lithium industry was experiencing unprecedented demand, and forecasters predicted decades of growth to come.<\/p>\n
However, with increased market size came increased attention from outside the lithium industry, particularly from automakers, government regulators, and civil society.<\/p>\n
Against this background, a group of six leading lithium producers came together and created the International Lithium Association<\/a> (ILiA) to be the organisation that provides a representative, global voice for the lithium industry.<\/p>\n