NEW EU BATTERIES REGULATION
The regulation sets new requirements for battery design, manufacture, labelling, recycling and reporting. The regulation applies to all batteries imported into or used in the EU, including portable, industrial and automotive batteries.
The new EU Battery Regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 28 July 2023 and entered into force on 17 August 2023. However, the regulation will gradually apply from 18 February 2024.
18 FEBRUARY 2024
The requirements that are already entered into force are the same as in the old Batteries Directive:
REACH-regulation compliance according to (Annex XVII, Article 4(2), point (a), of the End-of-life vehicles Directive and Battery Regulation Annex I)
Batteries containing more than 0,004 % lead shall be marked with the chemical symbol “Pb”, and batteries containing more than 0,002 % cadmium shall be marked with “Cd”.
AUGUST 18, 2024
Several new requirements will come into force in August, including:
The manufacturer must affix the CE marking to each battery.
The manufacturer must draw up an EU declaration of conformity for each battery model.
The manufacturer must draw up certain technical documentation.
The manufacturer shall operate an approved quality system for the production, inspection and testing of the finished product and shall be subject to surveillance. This applies only to some types of batteries.
The manufacturer must ensure the battery has clear, understandable, legible instructions and safety information.
The manufacturer shall indicate on the battery his name, registered trade name or registered trade mark, postal address with a single point of contact and, if possible, his website and e-mail address.
The manufacturer must ensure that batteries bear the model identifier and a batch or serial number, product number or other identifier.
REQUIREMENTS COMING INTO FORCE LATER
It should be noted that the due diligence requirement will enter into force in August 2025, the carbon footprint calculation for rechargeable industrial batteries in February 2026 and the recycled material content requirement for industrial batteries in August 2028.
