EU looks at ban on non-rechargeable batteries
The European Commission has been told to look at a ban on all non-rechargeable batteries.
The proposal is included in a deal by the European Parliament on new EU rules for design, production and recycling of batteries that would outlaw fixed, non-removable batteries.
The agreement overhauls EU rules on batteries to take into account technological developments but could hit designers, particularly with battery-backed real time clocks that are essential for reliable communications systems.
The rules will cover the entire battery life cycle, from design to end-of-life and apply to all types of batteries sold in the EU: portable batteries, SLI batteries (supplying power for starting, lighting or ignition of vehicles), light means of transport (LMT) batteries (providing power for the traction to wheeled vehicles such as electric scooters and bikes), electric vehicle (EV) batteries and industrial batteries.
Three and a half years after the legislation comes into effect, portable batteries in appliances must be designed so that consumers can easily remove and replace them themselves.
A carbon footprint declaration and label will be obligatory for EV batteries, LMT batteries and rechargeable industrial batteries with a capacity above 2kWh to assist with life-time monitoring and recycling.
The legislation will also include the requirement for 45% of all batteries to be recycled in 2023, 63% by 2027 and 73% by 2030 for portable batteries, and at 51% by 2028 and 61% by 2031 for light transport batteries. All of these LMT, EV, SLI and industrial batteries must be collected, free of charge for end-users, regardless of their nature, chemical composition, condition, brand or origin;
By 31 December 2030, the Commission also has to assess whether to phase out the use of non-rechargeable portable batteries of general use, which would include industrial primary cells.
“For the first time, we have circular economy legislation that covers the entire life cycle of a product – this approach is good for both the environment and the economy. We agreed on measures that greatly benefit consumers: batteries will be well-functioning, safer and easier to remove. Our overall aim is to build a stronger EU recycling industry, particularly for lithium, and a competitive industrial sector as a whole, which is crucial in the coming decades for our continent’s energy transition and strategic autonomy. These measures could become a benchmark for the entire global battery market,” said Achille Variati , the rapporteur who guided the rules through the European Parliament.
Parliament and Council will have to formally approve the agreement before it can come into force and replace the existing Batteries Directive from 2006.
The proposals were welcomed by the European Commission, although it will require a lot of more detailed rules and secondary legislation to be adopted from 2024 to 2028 to be fully operational.
This will guarantee that valuable materials are recovered at the end of their useful life and brought back in the economy by adopting stricter targets for recycling efficiency and material recovery over time. Material recovery targets for lithium will be 50% by 2027 and 80% by 2031, said the Commission.
“Companies placing batteries on the EU internal market will have to demonstrate that the materials used for their manufacturing were sourced responsibly. This means that social and environmental risks associated with the extraction, processing and trading of the raw materials used for the battery manufacturing will have to be identified and mitigated,” it said.
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