The EU’s new Regulation on batteries and waste batteries, effective August 18, 2023, and applicable from February 18, 2024, covers the entire lifecycle of batteries, promoting sustainability and aligning with the European Green Deal. It applies to all batteries, especially portable batteries weighing up to 5 kg and not designed for industrial or specific vehicle use. Key provisions include:

1. Due Diligence Policy: Operators, excluding SMEs, must implement policies addressing social and environmental impacts across the supply chain, with stricter rules for sourcing raw materials and potential audits by notified bodies.
2. New Labeling Requirements: Batteries must display information about the manufacturer, category, type, manufacturing date, weight, hazardous substances, capacity, and a QR code for additional details like carbon footprint. Hazardous substances like cadmium and lead require special labels if they exceed certain thresholds. Mercury is banned in portable batteries.
3. Conformity Assessment: Starting August 18, 2024, batteries must undergo a conformity assessment to ensure compliance with safety and sustainability requirements, including obtaining an EU declaration of conformity and CE marking.
4. Removability and Replaceability: Batteries in products must be easily removable and replaceable, with exceptions for certain medical devices and data security products.
5. Performance and Durability: The regulation sets performance and durability standards for portable batteries, although lifecycle assessments are not required before 2030.
6. End-of-Life Management: The regulation expands producer responsibility, requiring collection systems for waste batteries, with set collection targets (45% by 2023, 63% by 2027, and 73% by 2030), and prohibits landfilling of batteries. End-users must separately discard batteries.

The EPBA has been actively involved in the regulation’s legislative process and aims to shape a sustainable and competitive European portable battery sector.