After long negotiations, yesterday, the European Parliament approved the EU Battery Regulation. 

Batteries are a key technology playing a central role in advancing EU’s climate neutrality by 2050. In this context, the battery regulation is indeed a key achievement under the European Green Deal, under which all 27 member states have committed to making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. 

The Battery Regulation aims to make all batteries placed on the EU market more sustainable, circular and safe. For the first time, the regulation provides the required legal framework to promote sustainability in the production of batteries and reduce their environmental impact throughout their lifecycle, which will support Europe’s clean energy transition and independence from fuel imports. 

The Battery Regulation will bring forward the circular economy as it establishes clear rules to foster further development of a competitive sustainable European battery industry. Head of Research & Technology, Dr. Nuria González-García says to the voting: “At betteries, we believe that setting out rules on sustainability parameters, performance, safety, collection, recycling and second life of batteries is crucial to provide legal certainty to all operators in the battery value chain. Especially for second-life operators, specific rules to allow responsible repurposing of used batteries will support the practical application of the waste hierarchy”. The Battery Regulation clearly states that “Batteries that are found to be suitable for use other than for their original purpose should ideally be repurposed.“ 

To enhance transparency along supply and value chains for all stakeholders, the Battery Pass (thebatterypass.eu) that maximizes the exchange of information, enabling tracking and tracing of batteries. The battery passport will be the first digital product passport (DPP) implemented in the EU, which are seen as a key tool to advance the European Twin Transition. 

Following the vote in the European Parliament, the Battery Regulation still needs to be confirmed by the European Council. Implementation of the regulation is scheduled for the beginning of 2024. The obligation of providing an electronic record (i.e. the battery passport) for each battery placed on the EU market will be effective 42 months after the Regulation is entering into force.