The new rules for the design, production, and management of all batteries sold in the European Union and their waste have been definitively approved by the Parliament. This represents a significant change, considering the crucial role that batteries will have in the ecological transition, both for energy storage and transportation.
With 587 votes in favor, 9 against, and 20 abstentions, on Wednesday (June 14th), Members of the European Parliament approved the agreement reached with the Council on the revision of EU rules on batteries and waste derived from them. This is the final substantial step before the text comes into force, as it is a regulation that will be immediately applicable in all member states. The aim of the new rules is to “strengthen the internal market by promoting a circular economy and reducing the environmental and social impact throughout the life cycle of batteries.”
The text sets more ambitious targets for waste collection, recycling, and material recovery, as well as stricter requirements regarding sustainability, performance, and labeling. It includes due diligence measures to address social and environmental risks associated with the extraction of raw materials in third countries and mandates that portable appliance batteries be more easily replaceable.
With the legislative process now nearing completion, which began in November 2020 with the publication of the regulation proposal by the Commission, only formal approval by the Council and publication in the Official Journal of the European Union remain before the text takes effect.
THE RULES:
The regulation establishes the conditions for a battery to be more sustainable and, therefore, eligible to enter the European market. Let’s see the main measures:
- For electric vehicle (EV) and light mobility tool (LMT) batteries, as well as for rechargeable industrial batteries with a capacity exceeding 2kWh, a carbon footprint assessment and labeling will be mandatory.
- Portable batteries for household appliances must be designed in a way that allows consumers to easily remove and replace them.
- A digital passport will be mandatory for batteries used in light mobility tools, industrial batteries with a capacity exceeding 2 kWh, and batteries for electric vehicles. The Digital Battery Passport will serve as a registry to maximize information exchange, traceability, and tracking of batteries. It will provide information on carbon intensity of manufacturing processes, origin of materials used, potential use of renewable materials, battery composition including raw materials and hazardous chemicals, operations, repair possibilities, change of destination, dismantling, and treatment, recycling, and recovery processes that batteries may undergo at the end of their life cycle.
- Adopting a life-cycle approach, economic operators in the battery supply chain, excluding SMEs, will be required to exercise due diligence to ensure that battery production, particularly the extraction of necessary materials, does not involve human rights violations or environmental damage.
- More ambitious waste collection targets: for portable batteries, 45% by 2023, 63% by 2027, and 73% by 2030; for batteries used in light mobility tools, 51% by 2028, and 61% by 2031.
- Minimum recycling targets for materials recovered from battery waste: lithium, 50% by 2027, and 80% by 2031; cobalt, copper, lead, and nickel, 90% by 2027, and 95% by 2031.
- New batteries must ensure minimum levels of recycled content from production and consumption waste. Eight years after the regulation comes into effect (2031), the minimum recycled content will be: 16% for cobalt, 85% for lead, 6% for lithium, and 6% for nickel. Thirteen years after (2036), the minimum recycled content will be: 26% for cobalt, 85% for lead, 12% for lithium, and 15% for nickel.
