Batteries Regulation: ENVI Committee Confirms Mandatory Recycled Contents and Increases Collection Targets for Waste Batteries
After weeks of negotiation, the European Parliament ENVI Committee voted today on a series of compromise amendments regarding the new Regulation on batteries. FEAD welcomes that mandatory recycled contents, as initially proposed by the European Commission, has remain unchanged.
FEAD highlighted in its position paper that mandatory recycled content is a crucial market signal to create a strong demand for recyclates and will trigger investments in new recycling technologies and infrastructure. Recyclate users would consequently benefit from long term supply capacities. It would also reduce Europe’s dependency on third countries for raw materials, prevent possible scarcity situations in the future, diversify supply from both primary and secondary sources, and improve resource efficiency and the circular economy[1].
But the association expresses its concern as the European Parliament ENVI committee significantly increased the levels of material recovery for lithium (from 35% to 70% in 2026; 70% to 90% in 2030) in Annex XII, Part C of the new regulation.
Peter Kurth, FEAD president, says: “Material recovery needs to be realistically set up and progressively increased. The levels adopted today for lithium raise concern within our industry, as the needed technologies will not be on the market before 2025. A recovery rate of 90% in 2030 will be problematic. We urge the EU legislator to set up more realistic deadlines and targets, that can match the deployment of new technologies and investments.”
Improved collection systems and drastically increased collection rates, as voted today by the ENVI Committee, is the way forward to reach the critical tonnages of materials that will be needed to fulfill the mandatory recycled contents.
FEAD welcomes the other compromises on amendments, notably on replaceability of batteries, on increased collection targets, including the addition of light means of transport waste batteries.
Also welcome is the accelerated deadline for the adoption of the Delegated Act on the methodology for the calculation and verification of the volume of recovered materials from waste, which is now brought forward to the end of 2023.
[1] European Commission. Commission announces actions to make Europe’s raw materials supply more secure and sustainable. September 2020. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1542) (Access on 24.11.2021).
Source: FEAD (Brussels, 10 February 2022)
