On June 14, 2023, the European Parliament approved an agreement with the Council to overhaul EU regulations on batteries and battery waste, with new rules for the design, production and waste management of all types of batteries sold in the EU. This agreement will replace Directive 2006/66/EC (the current Battery Directive), known as the New Battery Act. On July 10, 2023, the Council of the European Union formally adopted the regulation and published it on its website. This regulation will enter into force on the 20th day from the date of publication. . 2006/66/EC directive No. 1 is related to battery environmental protection and waste battery management, but has its limitations in the context of the current surge in battery demand. On this basis, the new battery regulation establishes rules on the sustainability, performance, safety, collection, recycling and secondary life of batteries, as well as providing information on batteries for end users and economic operators.
Main measures
for mercury, pot, lead restricted requirements;
the mandatory carbon footprint declaration and labeling of rechargeable industrial battery light vehicle (LMT) batteries and electric vehicle batteries with a capacity greater than 2kWh will be implemented 18 months after the entry into force of the regulations;
for new batteries, the active material contains the minimum level of recycled components: the content of diamond, lead, or nickel in the active material of the battery after 5 years after the entry into force of the regulation should be attached to the document;
minimum percentage of recoveries after 8 years of regulation entry into force : 16% for drill, 85% for lead, 6% for bond, 6% for nickel;
13 years after the entry into force of the regulations, the minimum percentage of recovery: drill is 26%, lead is 85%, 12%, and nickel is 15%;
rechargeable industrial batteries, LMT batteries and electric vehicle batteries with a capacity greater than 2kWh will be accompanied by a document with values of electrochemical performance and durability parameters; implementation will begin 12 months after the entry into force of the regulation;
portable batteries are designed to be easily removable and replaceable by the consumer; (Portable batteries should be considered easily removable by the end user, I .e., they can be removed from the product using a commercially available tool without the use of a special tool, unless the product provides a special tool or solvent to disassemble the product free of charge.)
stationary battery energy storage systems (belonging to industrial batteries) will have safety assessment tests, which will be implemented 12 months after the entry into force of the regulations;
LMT batteries, industrial batteries above 2kWh, electric vehicle batteries require digital battery passports, which can be accessed via the OR code, will be implemented 42 months after the entry into force of the regulations; a due diligence policy for all economic operators. except for SMEs with a net turnover of less than € 40 million in the financial year;
each battery or the corresponding packaging shall be CE marked, and the CE mark shall be followed by the identification number of the notified body;
battery health management status and life expectancy information including parameters such as residual capacity, cycle number, self-discharge rate, SOC state, etc. Implementation will begin 12 months after the regulations come into force.
