Pile e battery non-rechargeable goodbye: a new package with European standards will regulate the electronics sector in a world in full energy transition. Among these, there is the definitive abolition of non-rechargeable devices and the obligation for all manufacturers to be able to easily replace the batteries in production that will be part of the market for at least 10 years, such as those of PCs and smartphone.
The EU revolution
The revolution, perhaps an inflated term, however, gives a good idea of how the electronics market will change with millions of devices easier to dispose of and with the lowest possible environmental impact. The electronics market will have to adapt to the times: it is for this reason that electric vehicles (motorcycles and cars) will also have a new regulation. In this way, Europe will be able to move closer to the “Green Deal”, that is the general objective of making the EU climate neutral by 2050. This is why within two years, 2024, the non-rechargeable batteries they will have to be clearly labeled with this wording and within five years, 2027, they will have to leave room for good quality rechargeable ones, resistant to a minimum number of recharge cycles.
The new regulation
The industry of the sector is warned: “those who produce battery-operated appliances may be forced to redesign them to make them easily replaceable and those who make batteries must convert its own production“, say the experts a Republic. As the new European regulation on batteries, the proposal concerns every type of battery regardless of shape, chemical composition, size and their use. From here, industrial batteries used for energy storage are also included. The exceptions will be minimal, perhaps only those for electric cars will escape. The EU directive was approved with 584 votes in favor, 67 against and 40 abstentions: in the approach stages there are only negotiations between the institutions and it will be definitively adopted in 2024.
What do the deputies ask?
MEPs are in favor of a review of current legislation that takes into account technological developments: they are calling for stronger requirements on sustainability, performance and labeling, including the introduction of a new category of batteries for “light means of transport (LMT) “such as electric scooters and bicycles, and criteria that clarify the footprint of carbon. By 2024, portable batteries for appliances such as smartphones, and batteries for LMTs, will need to be designed so that consumers and independent operators can remove them easily and safely as we wrote earlier. In addition, the industry will need to ensure that the battery production chain fully respects human rights and due diligence obligations, thus addressing risks related to the procurement, processing and trading of raw materials, which are often concentrated in one or a few villages.
The “world” of batteries
The European text also sets minimum levels for the amount of cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel that should be recovered from waste and reused for new batteries, and stricter collection targets for portable batteries. According to a report edited by World Economic Forum, the world demand for batteries will increase by 1400% by 2030 and it is for this reason that the creation of a sustainable and circular chain is necessary. From 2030, for example, batteries will have to be produced with a minimum percentage of recycled elements to constantly increase until 2035. As you recall Republiconly in Europe do they come consume every year 1.9 million tons of batteries: those that are recycled the most are lead ones (up to 99%), all other types drop to 48%.
Lithium ions, so much praised at the beginning of their introduction on the market, are very expensive to recycle that the industry is progressively abandoning them compared to what happens with cobalt, nickel and copper.
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