An agreement was reached on Friday, December 9, between MEPs and the Member States of the European Union on the subject of new and binding rules for the production of batteries in Europe.
The adopted text covers the entire battery cycle, from design to end of life. It will apply to all types of batteries sold in the EU: smartphones, computers, household appliances, scooters, cars, industrial batteries.
From 2024, manufacturers will have to provide information on the total expected carbon footprint of each battery, from mining to recycling. And after 2027, only the batteries of electric cars that do not exceed a maximum threshold can be marketed. Durability and performance criteria will also be imposed in 2026. Within three and a half years, smartphones or electronic devices will also have to be designed to be able to easily remove and replace the battery.
Companies including batteries in their products must also meet binding collection targets: 45% of telephone or computer batteries must be collected by 2023, and at least 73% by 2030. bicycles, scooters and electric scooters, the minimum take-back rate will be 61% by 2031.
All batteries collected must be recycled, with high levels of recovery for critical components: by 2027, the processes employed must enable the recycling of at least 90% of the batteries’ cobalt and nickel, as well as 50% of the lithium ( then 80% in 2031).
“World Reference”
The composition of new batteries must include minimum levels of metals from waste recovery: after 2031, batteries for electric vehicles must incorporate 16% cobalt, 6% lithium and recycled nickel.
“These environmental requirements will apply to batteries produced in Europe as well as imported batteries, and will gradually restrict access to the European market to the most durable batteries”, explains Pascal Canfin, Chairman of the Environment Committee at the European Parliament. European production will therefore increase and the EU will be less dependent on imports of critical metals (lithium, cobalt, etc.).
“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”rejoiced MEP Jessica Polfjard (EPP, right), negotiator of the agreement.
The EU is targeting 25% of global battery production by 2030, up from just 3% in 2020. The continent, which has massively beefed up investment in the sector, had around 40 factory projects last year of batteries.
This law “makes it possible to rebalance the rules of the game between European manufacturers and importers” and will help make batteries sold in Europe “the new global benchmark in terms of sustainability”welcomes Lucien Mathieu, from the NGO Transport & Environment.