Batteries – Photo by Hilary Halliwell from Pexels
(STRASBOURG) – The EU Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a report Thursday to make batteries more sustainable, from the sourcing of materials and durable and reparable design to improved consumer information.
With the vote, MEPs signal their readiness to negotiate with EU governments on the final shape of the new rules governing the entire battery product life cycle, from design to end-of-life.
During the debate, MEPs underlined the crucial role that batteries have in the transition to a circular and climate-neutral economy and for the EU’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy. The draft legislation was adopted on Thursday with 584 votes in favour, 67 against and 40 abstentions.
MEPs are in favour of overhauling the current legislation to take into account technological developments.
They propose stronger requirements on sustainability, performance and labelling, including the introduction of a new category of “batteries for ‘light means of transport’ (LMT)”, such as electric scooters and bikes, and rules on a carbon footprint declaration and label. By 2024, portable batteries in appliances, such as smartphones, and batteries for LMT must be designed so that consumers and independent operators can easily and safely remove them themselves, MEPs say.
“For the first time in European legislation, the Battery Regulation lays down a holistic set of rules to govern an entire product life cycle, from the design phase to end-of-life,” said the Parliament’s Rapporteur Simona Bonafe: “This creates a new approach to boost the circularity of batteries and introduces new sustainability standards that should become a benchmark for the entire global battery market. Batteries are a key technology for fostering sustainable mobility and for storing renewable energy.”
According to the adopted position, industry should ensure that the battery value chain complies fully with human rights and due diligence obligations, thus addressing risks around the sourcing, processing and trading of raw materials, which are often concentrated in one or a few countries.
The report also sets minimum levels of recovered cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel from waste for reuse in new batteries and more stringent collection targets for portable batteries.
Further information, European Parliament
