The new regulations aim to reduce the environmental impact of batteries and create a competitive industry within the EU.
FREMONT, CA: New regulations approved by EU legislators will boost Europe's energy goals while making batteries more environmentally friendly. The European Parliament and Council came to a tentative agreement on legislation for batteries on December 9 that will cover the whole life cycle of batteries, from the sourcing of components to recycling and repurposing.
It indicates that starting in 2024, batteries will be subject to sustainability standards for factors including carbon footprint, recycled material, performance, and durability. High levels of recovery will need to be achieved for all collected batteries, with an emphasis on precious components including copper, cobalt, lithium, nickel, and lead. Additionally, the legislation would require businesses selling batteries in the EU to prove that the raw materials used in their production were obtained ethically.
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The regulations are a result of a proposal made by the European Commission in 2020 to update EU battery law and lessen its environmental impact. According to the Commission, batteries are a crucial technology that is essential to the European Green Deal, which aims to make Europe carbon-neutral by 2050. The new framework intends to foster a competitive battery industry for the EU while assisting Europe's transition to sustainable energy and independence from fuel imports.
The commissioner for the internal market claimed that there is fierce rivalry in the world of electric mobility and that battery demand has drastically increased. They want to make sure that we are not just dependent on others as subcontractors and that clean mobility creates jobs in Europe. Since the production of electric vehicles requires less labour and complexity than that combustion engines, this is an even more important issue.
With the new law approved they can guarantee that all batteries sold on the EU market, regardless of where they were made, will be safe and sustainable for the duration of their useful lives. Before the new regulations can go into effect, they must now be formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council. According to the European Commission, for the regulatory framework to function completely, many more specific rules must be approved between 2024 and 2028.