Twelve more companies in the lithium supply chain including Rio Tinto (RIO.L), BASF (BASFn.DE) and Sibanye Stillwater (SSWJ.J) have joined a global trade association for the material used to make batteries for electric vehicles. They, alongside others such as Savannah Resources (SAVS.L), SVOLT Energy Technology, Sichuan Calciner Technology, Minviro, Hatch, Galvanic Energy, C&D Logistics Group, Adionics and Anson Resources, will join as Founding Associate Members. The five original founding members of the International Lithium Association (ILiA), SQM, Ganfeng Lithium (002460.SZ), AMG Brazil, Orocobre and Pilbara Minerals (PLS.AX), account for more than half of the world"s lithium output. "Faced with rapid growth, change and attention, lithium producers saw an urgent need for the industry to form an association that could efficiently and effectively address common challenges, such as promoting a sustainable lithium value chain as we move forward into the lithium century," ILiA said in a release on Wednesday. Reporting by Pratima Desai Editing by Mark Potter Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.