Sustainable Biz Magazine - Magazine - Page 26
Council of the EU adopts
new regulation to
strengthen sustainability
rules on batteries
T
he Council of the EU has adopted
a new regulation that strengthens
sustainability rules for batteries and
waste batteries. The regulation will regulate
the entire life cycle of batteries – from
production to reuse and recycling – and
ensure that they are safe, sustainable and
competitive.
Batteries are key to the decarbonisation
process and the EU's shift towards zeroemission modes of transport. At the same
time end-of-life batteries contain many
valuable resources and we must be able to
reuse those critical raw materials instead of
relying on third countries for supplies. The
new rules will promote the competitiveness
of European industry and ensure new
batteries are sustainable and contribute to
the green transition.
The regulation of the European
Parliament and the Council will apply to
all batteries including all waste portable
batteries, electric vehicle batteries, industrial
batteries, starting, lightning and ignition
(SLI) batteries (used mostly for vehicles and
machinery) and batteries for light means
of transport (e.g. electric bikes, e-mopeds,
e-scooters).
The new rules aim to promote a circular
economy by regulating batteries throughout
their life cycle. The regulation therefore
establishes end-of-life requirements,
including collection targets and obligations,
targets for the recovery of materials and
extended producer responsibility.
The regulation sets targets for producers
to collect waste portable batteries (63%
by the end of 2027 and 73% by the end of
2030), and introduces a dedicated collection
objective for waste batteries for light means
of transport (51% by the end of 2028 and
61% by the end of 2031).
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The regulation sets a target for
lithium recovery from waste batteries of
50% by the end of 2027 and 80% by the end
of 2031, which can be amended through
delegated acts depending on market
and technological developments and the
availability of lithium.
The regulation provides
for mandatory minimum levels of recycled
content for industrial, SLI batteries and EV
batteries. These are initially set at 16% for
cobalt, 85% for lead, 6% for lithium and
6% for nickel. Batteries will have to hold
a recycled content documentation.
The recycling efficiency target for nickelcadmium batteries is set at 80% by the end
of 2025 and 50% by the end 2025 for other
waste batteries.
The regulation provides that by 2027
portable batteries incorporated into
appliances should be removable and
replaceable by the end-user, leaving
sufficient time for operators to adapt
the design of their products to this
requirement. This is an important provision
for consumers. Light means of transport
batteries will need to be replaceable by an
independent professional.
The new rules aim to improve
the functioning of the internal market for
batteries and ensure fairer competition
thanks to the safety, sustainability and
labelling requirements.
This will be reached through performance,
durability and safety criteria, tight
restrictions for hazardous substances like
mercury, cadmium and lead and mandatory
information on the carbon footprint of
batteries.
The regulation introduces labelling and
information requirements, among other
things on the battery's components and
recycled content, and an electronic “battery
S USTAI N AB L E B I Z MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 2023
passport” and a QR code. In order to give
member states and economic actors on the
market enough time to prepare, labelling
requirements will apply by 2026 and the QR
code by 2027.
The new regulation aims to reduce
environmental and social impacts
throughout the life cycle of the battery.
To that end, the regulation sets tight due
diligence rules for operators who must verify
the source of raw materials used for batteries
placed on the market. The regulation
provides for an exemption for SMEs from
the due diligence rules.
The regulation on batteries aims to create
a circular economy for the batteries sector
by targeting all stages of the life cycle of
batteries, from design to waste treatment.
This initiative is of major importance,
particularly in view of the massive
development of electric mobility. Demand
for batteries is expected to grow by more
than ten-fold by 2030.
The new regulation will replace the current
batteries directive of 2006 and complete the
existing legislation, particularly in terms of
waste management.
Teresa Ribera, Spanish minister for the
ecological transition