Chile: New battery regulation 

 

A new regulation for batteries was published in Chile: Preliminary draft regulation establishing targets for the collection and recovery of batteries and related obligations (in Spanish: Anteproyecto del Reglamento que establece metas de recolección y valorización y otras obligaciones asociadas a Baterías). 

The purpose of this decree is to establish collection and recovery targets and other obligations associated with batteries, in order to prevent the generation of their waste and promote their recovery. 

The decree applies to batteries placed on the national market. This applies regardless of whether the batteries are an integral part of a vehicle, appliance, or machinery of any kind, or whether they have been introduced into the national market individually as replacement batteries. 

In order to regulate the obligations contained in this decree, the following battery categories are established according to their composition: 1) Lead-acid batteries 2) Lithium-ion batteries 3) Other batteries. Extended producer responsibility will not apply to batteries in the “other batteries” category. However, producers of these batteries must comply with the information obligation, in accordance with the provisions of Article 8. 

Producers subject to extended producer responsibility must comply with the following obligations: 

a) Register with the RETC Single Window, in accordance with the provisions of Supreme Decree No. 1 of 2023, of the Ministry of the Environment, or any decree that modifies and/or replaces it, and provide the requested information directly to the RETC Single Window or, where applicable, through an individual or collective management system. This is without prejudice to any information obligations they may have under otherregulations;

 b) Organize and finance the collection of battery waste throughout the national territory, as well as its storage, transport, and treatmentin accordance withcurrent regulations; 

 c) Comply with the battery waste collection and recovery targets,in accordance withTitle III; 

 d) Comply with the associated obligationsestablishedin Title IV; 

 e) Ensure that battery waste is managed by authorized and registered waste management companies; and,

 f) Ensure that sensitive commercial information shared in compliance with the Law is notdisclosedto other producers, respecting applicable free competition regulations and subject to Law No. 19.628, on the protection of privacy. 

To find out more about compliance for batteries, do not hesitate to contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.