Changing the battery of your mobile phone, computer or tablet without difficulty, with lower costs and easier recycling for consumers. This is the objective of the regulation on batteries that should come into force in the European Union (EU) in 2027, to promote the circular economy of these products.
A new EU regulation will regulate the entire life cycle of batteries – from production to reuse and recycling – to be more sustainable products.
“Batteries are fundamental for the decarbonization process and for the EU’s transition to an economy without polluting emissions”, said the Council of the EU, at the beginning of the month, when it announced the agreement of the 28 countries on the new regulation.
Manufacturers of electronic devices use “tricks” to make it difficult to replace batteries, which leads consumers to buy new devices.
“Whenever we remove a battery, we heat the back a little bit so that it is a little more flexible, so that we don’t tear other components when we remove the battery. As you can see, for example, the camera can come out. So, you have to be careful, it’s little pitfalls like this that you have to avoid,” said Areg Badalian, an electronics repairer in Brussels, interviewed by euronews.
The regulations specify that replacing a battery should not require heat or a solvent to dismantle it. The user should also not have to resort to specialized tools.
“Some brands invent screwdrivers so that the devices cannot be repaired, but this is not very smart, because you simply create a new screwdriver,” explained Areg Badalian.
Reduce electronic waste
It is anticipated that manufacturers will resort to more tricks such as using increasingly smaller components to make repairs more difficult, or installing programs that warn when the new battery is not an official brand.
However, the regulation should help to reduce electronic waste. For example, every year more than 150 million mobile phones are thrown away, often because of problems with changing the battery.
“The new regulation aims to reduce environmental and social impacts throughout the life cycle of the battery. To this end, the regulation establishes strict due diligence rules for operators who must verify the origin of the raw materials used in batteries placed on the market.
2023-07-25 13:24:00
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