ESG Annual Report Analysis | CALB Releases 2023 ESG Report, Committed to Providing Green Innovation Solutions for the New Energy Sector

According to the latest news from Zhitong Finance APP, recently, CALB (03931) released the "2023 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report", detailing the company's progress and achievements in ESG work in 2023 from the aspects of innovation leadership, low-carbon environmental protection, people-oriented, and integrity development.

CALB is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the research and development, and application of new energy technologies and products. Its main business covers the research, production, sales, and market application development of new energy batteries, battery management systems, related integrated products, and battery materials. The main target markets include new energy passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, energy storage, marine, aviation power, and other emerging markets.

The ESG report shows that CALB has established an ESG management system that suits the company's actual situation, formulated the "ESG Management Manual", and established a three-level organizational structure of "governance layer - management layer - execution layer". At the same time, the company attaches great importance to stakeholder engagement, identifies various stakeholders through the establishment of an effective stakeholder management mechanism, builds regular communication channels, understands stakeholders' demands and expectations regarding the company's ESG aspects, and formulates corresponding measures for specific improvements and enhancements.

Environment: Low-carbon energy conservation, green circular development

In terms of environmental protection, during the reporting period, CALB continued to incorporate energy-saving and renewable energy methods, and the company's comprehensive energy consumption decreased by 19% compared to 2022. In 2023, the installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation totaled 12.4 megawatts, with an annual power generation of approximately 9.9 million kilowatt-hours, reducing carbon emissions by about 7,841 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (regional grid emission reduction factor). In 2023, the company's greenhouse gas emission intensity was 23.11 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour, a decrease of about 19% compared to 2022.

In terms of water resources, the company has set water-saving targets and various water-saving systems, innovated water-saving equipment and water reuse technologies, effectively reducing unnecessary water resource consumption and improving water resource utilization efficiency. In 2023, the company's total water consumption was 4,942,729.32 cubic meters (2022: 2,080,819.00 cubic meters), and the Changzhou base obtained the Jiangsu Province water-saving enterprise certification.

Additionally, CALB has established a dedicated battery recycling technology team, developed a short-process material recycling process, and built a detachment recycling experimental line. At the same time, the company has developed an in-situ repair technology for electrode materials to maximize the utilization of waste materials. In 2023, the company's annual production of recycled packaging materials reached 7,000 tons, with a proportion of recycled packaging materials in production projects reaching 96.89%, of which the passenger vehicle product project has achieved 100% recycled packaging.

Social Sustainable Development: People-oriented, emphasis on employee development

CALB upholds the value of "win-win", focuses on the physical and mental health of employees, and creates a safe and healthy working and living environment for employees. The company has established a female workers' committee of the labor union, emphasizing the labor safety protection of female employees, caring for the physical and mental health of female employees, and carrying out a variety of caring activities for female employees. As of the end of the reporting period, the total number of company employees was 16,962, with female employees accounting for 26%, a 4% increase from 2022 During the reporting period, CALB has obtained ISO45001 occupational health and safety management system certification for its operational bases in Changzhou, Xiamen, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Hefei. For bases under construction, in accordance with the requirements of the ISO45001 occupational health and safety management system, efforts are being made to actively establish the occupational health and safety management system within the unit, with plans to carry out certification work upon completion and commencement of operations.

CALB has established a three-level training system at the company, department, and position levels. Training content includes new employee orientation, on-the-job training, in-service training, academic education, skills assessment, and continuing education. Additionally, a comprehensive dual-channel development system has been established to provide employees with a fair and transparent platform for career advancement. During the reporting period, the cumulative annual training duration was 157,363 hours, with an average training duration per person of 9.28 hours. A total of 1,462 training sessions were conducted, benefiting 68,109 individuals, with total training expenses amounting to 3.7783 million RMB.

Supply Chain Management: Refining ESG Management Rules and Improving Carbon Management Traceability

In terms of supply chain management, CALB has established an SRM system platform. In 2023, the company focused on enhancing several major functional modules such as supplier quality qualification analysis, supplier performance management, supplier audit management, and supplier change management to ensure the stability of raw material quality.

Furthermore, CALB has set green and low-carbon targets for its upstream supply chain. During the reporting period, the company organized multiple thematic training sessions on upstream supplier carbon footprints, with nearly 50 suppliers participating, achieving a training coverage rate of 90%. Based on the company's various battery cells and pack products, key material data collection and carbon accounting were completed, along with efforts to facilitate ISO14067 certification for upstream key material suppliers. This data serves as objective support for setting emission reduction targets and implementation plans.

In 2023, CALB established a supply chain traceability platform and formed a special task force around the theme of "supply chain traceability." Multiple rounds of online and offline training were conducted for suppliers to assist them in establishing traceability systems and overcoming difficulties related to information blockages on upstream materials. By the end of the reporting period, the company, in collaboration with customers, completed traceability for multiple primary material suppliers of battery cells, achieving up to 4 levels of traceability from domestic primary suppliers to domestic mining sources, and forming corresponding supply chain maps.

Looking ahead, CALB Chairman Liu Jingyu expressed the company's commitment to continuously contribute to the industry's healthy and sustainable development, high-quality economic growth, green and low-carbon social development, energy security, and a better future for humanity!

(Link ESG Researcher Deng Shixia)