Vale Canada and lithium-ion cell producer Northvolt AB announced a multi-year agreement for Vale to supply low-carbon nickel products to Northvolt, reinforcing the companies’ shared commitment to sustainability in the electric vehicle supply chain and electrification of the broader mining industry. Vale is the world’s largest producer of nickel.

The agreement reaffirms Vale’s position as a supplier of choice to the fast-growing electric vehicle industry and aligns with Northvolt’s imperative to minimize carbon emissions and other environmental impacts in the battery value chain.

Vale is a leading global producer of low-carbon and high-purity nickel products. Rounds from the company’s Long Harbour refinery in Newfoundland, Canada, have a verified carbon footprint of 4.4 tons CO₂ equivalent per ton of nickel—about one-third the Nickel Institute average for Class 1 nickel.

The company has pledged to invest between US$4 billion and US$6 billion to cut absolute carbon emissions 33% by 2030, as part of efforts to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Vale will also reduce 15% of its value-chain emissions by 2035.

Northvolt’s ambition is to raise the sustainability bar for battery producers with a plan to reduce carbon emissions by up to 90% compared to benchmark batteries today, primarily by leveraging clean energy in production and recycling.