The new battery law is proposed to no longer follow the previous "Directive" control form, but instead to "Regulation", in order to achieve coordination and consistency within the EU, avoid regulatory framework conflicts caused by inconsistent waste collection and recycling measures formulated by member states, and reduce the time and legal uncertainty caused by the conversion of directives, ensuring that all member states can simultaneously fulfill their obligations in the same way.

Comparison of New and Old Standards for Hazardous Substance Control Requirements

material

New Battery Regulations

Battery command

mercury

Whether or not installed in equipment, light transportation vehicles, or other vehicles, mercury ≤ 0.0005%

All batteries or accumulators, whether or not installed in equipment, with mercury ≤ 0.0005%,

cadmium

Portable batteries, whether or not installed on equipment, light transportation vehicles, or other vehicles, cadmium ≤ 0.002%

Portable batteries or accumulators, including those integrated into equipment, with cadmium ≤ 0.002%, except for emergency lighting exemptions

lead

1. Starting from August 18, 2024, portable batteries, whether or not combined with equipment, have a lead content of ≤ 0.01%; 2. The restrictions listed in point 1 do not apply to portable zinc air button batteries until August 18, 2028.

Infinite value requirement (only requirement is that if the lead content exceeds 0.004%, Pb needs to be marked under the forked wheeled garbage bin)

Applicable scope of regulations:

The new battery regulations apply to all categories of batteries, which are divided into five categories based on their designed use:

Portable battery

LMT battery (light means of transport battery)

SLI battery (starting, lighting, and ignition battery)

Industrial battery

Electric vehicle battery.

Battery label identification requirements

On the basis of the old regulation Directive 2006/66/EC, (EU) 2023/1542 has put forward some new requirements for the labeling of batteries, as follows:

1. General Information

The requirements for capacity labeling are consistent with the old regulation Directive 2006/66/EC, while others are new requirements.

Starting from August 18, 2026 or 18 months after the implementation of the Act referred to in paragraph 10 (whichever is the latest), batteries should be labeled with the following ten items of information. Rechargeable portable batteries, LMT batteries, and SLI batteries must be labeled with capacity information. Non rechargeable portable batteries must also be labeled for specific purposes