The European Union becomes more demanding with batteries, recently carrying out a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the European Council for the implementation of stricter standards in the search for more sustainable, efficient and durable batteries throughout the territory European.
These new rules contemplate the entire cycle thereof, from the extraction of materials for production to their disposal, covering not only batteries for electronic devices, but also for cars, scooters, among others.
According to the new rules, all companies selling batteries in the EU will have to implement a “due diligence policy” where the “social and environmental risks” derived from the supply, transformation and trade of raw materials and secondary raw materials are contemplated.
The focus is also placed on a minimum percentage of collection of materials for recyclingwhich in the case of electronic devices, is 45% by 2023, 63% by 2027 and 73% by 2030, and also requires a minimum percentage of recycled materials used: cobalt (16%), lead (85%), lithium (6%) and nickel (6%).
The industry will be forced to change processes and product development
Undoubtedly, these requirements will mean that manufacturers will have to review their production processes to adapt to them in order to continue selling batteries within the European Union.
Batteries will be required to include labels and QR codes that inform end consumers about capacity, performance, durability, chemical composition, and even also have the “separate collection” symbol.
In the case of electronic devices, Users will be required to have the ability to remove and replace batteries themselvessomething that until now we do not know how it can affect products such as mobile devices and laptops, which use non-removable batteries with the argument of enabling the development of thinner products.
This forces you to go to technical services in case of problems, although it will mark a before and after in future device designs.
This new regulation is awaiting final approval so that it can enter into force.
More information: European Parliament
