Stora Enso and Shanshan Technology have entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate the development and industrialisation of sustainable battery materials, with a particular focus on lignin-based hard carbon for battery anodes.
As part of the agreement, the two companies will establish a demonstration line for hard carbon development at Shanshan Technology’s facility in Ningbo, China. The facility will enable faster technical development and industrial-scale validation, strengthening their ability to respond to growing interest in sodium-ion battery technologies and increasing demand for sustainable anode materials.
The collaboration combines Stora Enso’s expertise in renewable materials and lignin-based innovation with Shanshan Technology’s industrial capabilities and established position in the global anode materials market. Their joint development programme will focus on lignin-based hard carbon derived from renewable wood-based feedstock, a material particularly relevant to sodium-ion batteries, which require hard carbon as their anode material.
The partnership represents an important step in the development of sustainable alternatives for battery production and supports Stora Enso’s long-term ambition to establish large-scale hard carbon production for battery anodes in Europe.
As sodium-ion technologies gain momentum across energy storage and mobility applications, the companies aim to strengthen industrial readiness and accelerate the commercialisation of renewable-based battery materials.
“Our partnership with Shanshan Technology is a significant step in advancing our sustainable battery materials business. By combining our expertise in renewable materials with Shanshan Technology’s industrial-scale anode material capabilities, we can accelerate development, strengthen our readiness for future scale-up, and support our long-term ambition to establish hard carbon production in Europe,” said Juuso Konttinen, SVP, Head of Growth, Biomaterials at Stora Enso.