The proposed new EU Battery Regulation is the first holistic piece of legislation covering the entire life-cycle of a product that was prepared under the Green Deal programme of the Commission of von der Leyen. It will have a significant impact on the sourcing of raw materials, battery design, manufacturing, product information and stewardship, and end-of-life management. It is the intention of the Battery Regulation to guarantee that Europe’s decarbonisation efforts will in future be supported by sustainable batteries.

This presentation examines the key measures foreseen by the regulation

• A compulsory carbon footprint declaration and label for electric vehicles (EV) batteries, light means of transport (LMT) batteries (e.g., for electric scooters and bikes), and rechargeable industrial batteries with a capacity above 2 kWh.
• Designing portable batteries in appliances in a way that consumers can themselves easily remove and replace them.
• A digital battery passport for LMT batteries, industrial batteries with a capacity above 2 kWh, and EV batteries.
• A due diligence policy for raw material sourcing.
• Stricter waste collection targets for portable batteries.
• Minimum levels of materials recovered from waste batteries.
• Minimum levels of recycled content from process and consumer waste for use in the manufacture of new batteries.

Although the Regulation is to be approved by 2H 2023 (the second half of the fiscal year),  there are over 50 pieces of secondary legislation that must be developed to make it fully operational.