The European Union will oblige manufacturers to make all batteries more ecological, more easily replaceable and recyclable, according to an agreement reached on Friday December 9 between MEPs and the Member States, which relies on “circular economy” to boost battery production in Europe.
The text, adopted after lengthy negotiations, covers the entire battery cycle, from design to end of life, and will apply to all types of batteries sold in the EU – smartphones, household appliances, scooters, cars or electric bicycles, industrial batteries… -, specifies a press release from the European Parliament.
Recycling
Within three and a half years, mobile phones or electronic devices will have to be designed so that the battery can be removed and replaced easily. All batteries will need to carry labels and QR codes informing them of their performance, lifespan and composition, while batteries for scooters and cars, like some industrial batteries, will need to have a “digital battery passport” detailing their characteristics.
Above all, companies including batteries in their products will have to meet binding collection targets: for portable batteries, the take-back rate will have to reach 45% of the total by 2023, and up to 73% by 2030. bicycle and scooter batteries, the minimum collection rate will be 51% by 2028.
All batteries collected must be recycled, with high levels of recovery for copper, cobalt, lithium, nickel, lead, and the text will impose minimum levels of these metals from waste recovery in the composition of new batteries.
Strengthening the European industrial sector
Manufacturers will also be subject, from 2024, to increasing sustainability and performance requirements, and will have to provide the expected total carbon footprint, from mining to recycling, before the imposition after 2027 of a cap. maximum emissions.
“This law sets environmental requirements for all batteries, whether produced in Europe or imported, and will gradually restrict access to the European market to the most durable batteries”explains Pascal Canfin (Renew, liberals), chairman of the Environment Committee at the European Parliament.
With the effect of strengthening the European battery industry, while reducing the EU’s dependence on imports of critical metals (lithium, nickel, cobalt, etc.), he underlines. “It’s a leap forward to strengthen our competitiveness, while the EU is very far behind Asia and the United States in terms of batteries”, agrees MEP Jessica Polfjard (EPP, right), negotiator of the agreement. By 2030, Europe is targeting 25% of global battery production, up from just 3% in 2020.