2023-07-11 10:38:00
11 julio 2023
This Regulation is one of the initiatives of the European Union to advance in its decarbonization agenda and in compliance with its Green Plan. The new Regulation will replace the current Battery Directive of 2006 and will complete the existing legislation, especially regarding waste management.
The primary objective is to reduce the environmental and social effects of the entire life cycle of the cell or battery and to reinforce standards regarding the sustainability and effectiveness of these products. In this sense, provisions are established both for production and for reuse and recycling so that they are safe and competitive.
The Council of the Union, for the approval of this Regulation, considers the importance of batteries in the transition of the EU towards means of transport without emissions, and at the same time the need to reuse fundamental raw materials that can be found in batteries and batteries at the end of their useful life, as explained by the Spanish Minister for Energy Transition, Teresa Ribera, who stressed that this regulation will also affect batteries for electric vehicles, automotive batteries (for vehicles and machinery) and batteries for media light transport (bicycles, mopeds or electric scooters).
circular economy
The new framework defined by this Regulation includes collection obligations, material recovery targets and an extended responsibility of the producer, who will be required to meet the 63% collection target for their products -batteries or portable batteries by the end of 2027 and 73% by the end of 2030.
In the case of waste and batteries from light means of transport, producers must meet the objective of collecting 51% by the end of 2028 and 61% by the end of 2031.
Likewise, this European standard establishes mandatory minimum levels of recycled content in industrial, automotive and electric vehicle batteries. Specifically, it will affect the content of cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel.
Efficiency and due diligence
The European Council has also included rules that aim to guarantee fairer competition by setting safety, sustainability and labeling requirements. In addition, strict restrictions are established for dangerous substances such as mercury, cadmium and lead, and mandatory information on the carbon footprint of cells and batteries.
Regarding the labeling and information of the components, the Regulation includes a kind of “electronic passport” for batteries and a QR. These labeling and code requirements will take effect in 2026 and 2027 respectively.
Operators must verify the origin of the raw materials they use. Due diligence rules from which SMEs are excluded.
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