EU: New delegated regulation for waste batteries

 

The EU has published a new delegated regulation establishing a methodology for calculation and verification of rates for recycling efficiency and recovery of materials from waste batteries.

Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 establishes requirements for recyclers to meet specific targets for recycling efficiency and material recovery from waste batteries. The Commission is tasked with developing a methodology for calculating and verifying these rates, as well as setting the format for the necessary documentation, in accordance with the regulation’s standards. This work is essential to create a harmonised regulatory framework that governs the entire life cycle of batteries placed on the Union market, including waste management.

The methodology must ensure high-quality material recovery for the battery sector, without distorting competition or disrupting the internal market for secondary raw materials. At the same time, it should encourage research and innovation in this rapidly growing field. In preparing the methodology, it is important to build upon the approach established under Directive 2006/66/EC, while also reflecting advancements in recycling technology and addressing both existing and emerging battery chemistries.

The methodology for calculating and verifying recycling efficiency rates should define the relevant input and output fractions that influence these targets, ensuring uniform calculation practices. Similarly, the methodology for recovery rates must outline the fractions affecting material recovery goals, and include any additional quality requirements for the recovered materials, to promote harmonised reporting.

To guarantee traceability, fairness, and the protection of human health and the environment, the documentation format for substances listed in points (5) and (6) of Part A of Annex XII of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 must include detailed guidelines for recording the treatment of these substances into identifiable streams within the recycling process.

Clear instructions must be provided on how to complete documentation for recycling efficiency and material recovery rates to ensure consistent and standardised data reporting. Separate documentation formats should be created for lead-acid, lithium-based, nickel-cadmium, and other battery types to reflect the specific characteristics of each chemistry.

Finally, to support consistent and harmonised application, the methodology for verifying recycling efficiency and material recovery rates must, at a minimum, define the scope of verification and specify the techniques to be employed.

To find out more about battery compliance in the EU, please do not hesitate to contact the Product Compliance Institute.