• As one of the first battery materials producers, Nouveau Monde has been admitted as an active member of the prestigious Global Battery Alliance
• The GBA is a World Economic Forum’s initiative, admitting leading players of the entire battery value chain
• The GBA strives to establish a circular and sustainable battery value chain through public-private leadership and partnerships
• Nouveau Monde’s firm commitment to sustainability, carbon neutrality as well as exemplary ESG practices, is fully aligned with the GBA’s founding principles
• Amongst the key initiatives, as an active member, Nouveau Monde will seek to contribute to the development and implementation of the GBA’s Battery Passport
• Nouveau Monde already participates in the GBA pilot project targeting the development of traceability for key battery materials from mining to anode and cathode production
• Having an integrated business model, from mining to the manufacturing of anode battery materials, Nouveau Monde is ideally positioned to play a leading role in advancing GBA’s important agenda

Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (NYSE: NMG) (TSX-V: NOU) has been admitted as an active member of the Global Battery Alliance, a World Economic Forum’s initiative dedicated to helping establish a sustainable battery value chain. Through this public-private collaboration platform, Nouveau Monde joins battery manufacturers, automakers, technology companies, governments, and international organizations. Members include Alliance for Responsible Mining, BMW Group, Google, Groupe Renault, Honda Motors, International Energy Agency, Johnson Matthey, LG Chem, Microsoft, SK Innovation, Umicore, UN Environment, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Group, and the World Bank Group.

Building upon ten key guiding principles, flagship initiatives, and taskforces, the GBA actively works to advance climate action via the sustainable development of the battery ecosystem. Efforts aim to:

• “Establish a circular battery value chain as a major driver to achieve the Paris Agreement;
• Establish a low-carbon economy in the value chain, create new jobs and additional economic value; and
• Safeguard human rights and economic development consistent with the UN Sustainable Development Goals” (GBA, 2021).

Arne H Frandsen, Chairman of Nouveau Monde, commented: “We are delighted to be invited to join leaders of the global battery industry to help advance the transition to a responsible as well as sustainable green economy. Responsibly sourced and extracted battery materials are the foundation stones of the battery value chain; and Nouveau Monde takes its leadership position seriously, and we see our position as an opportunity to power an ethical, environmental, and sustainable energy revolution.”

Eric Desaulniers, Founder, President, and CEO of Nouveau Monde, added: “In line with our corporate values and commitment to our communities, we have embedded the essence of the Global Battery Alliance principles into our business model. Now, we will join global leaders of our industry to help drive ESG practices and transparency into our sector. This represents an exceptional opportunity to share knowledge, shape tomorrow’s standards and accelerate the wheel of change. I am confident that our current and future projects will both contribute to and benefit from this leadership initiative.”

Shaping a Sustainable, Responsible, and Circular Battery Value Chain

With 10-year CAGR of 29% for electric vehicles and 41% for stationary energy storage solutions (Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, 2021), batteries represent a core technology to achieve the transition to a decarbonized society. While the development of this supply chain is progressing at an accelerated pace to meet demand, social and environmental factors must remain at the forefront to guide a just and sustainable economy.

Nouveau Monde’s vertically integrated business model, from mining operations to value-added transformation of battery materials, is underpinned by a commitment to sustainable development, past, present and future carbon neutrality as well as ecotechnologies. As such, the Company aligns with the GBA’s principles and is dedicated to contributing to the creation of a Battery Passport. This global solution would enable securely sharing information and data, demonstrating responsibility, traceability, and sustainability to consumers.

In the fall of 2020, Nouveau Monde joined a pioneering project with Propulsion Québec, OPTEL Group, and the International Reference Center for Life Cycle of Products, Services, and Systems (CIRAIG), to establish traceability by mapping and documenting the Company’s graphite supply chain with detailed data on chemistry, environmental, social and governance factors, greenhouse gas footprint, logistics, etc. The project is affiliated with the GBA to inform global standards on battery identity and reporting criteria for sustainable and transparent battery production.

While much progress has been made on recycling processes for cathode metals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese), anode recovery remains to be developed to a similar level. Hence, Nouveau Monde has embarked on research and industrial partnerships to advance the recovery and value-added transformation of recycled graphite for reuse as anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The Company promotes graphite circularity with the objective of increasing the amount of recycled graphite to integrate into anode material manufacturing and further improve the environmental footprint of batteries.

About Nouveau Monde

Nouveau Monde is striving to become a key contributor to the sustainable energy revolution. The Company is working towards developing a fully integrated source of green battery anode material in Québec, Canada. Targeting commercial operations by 2023, the Company is developing advanced carbon-neutral graphite-based material solutions for the growing lithium-ion and fuel cell markets. With low-cost operations and enviable ESG standards, Nouveau Monde aspires to become a strategic supplier to the world’s leading battery and automobile manufacturers, providing high performing and reliable advanced materials while promoting sustainability and supply chain traceability.