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Consumers don’t generally replace their own cell phone or tablet batteries, but they’ll be able to next year in the European Union (EU). And while the new requirement applies only to electronics sold in the EU, the sweeping regulation could impact global product design and manufacturing as electronics makers either standardize models across regions or maintain separate versions for different markets.
The Batteries Regulation (Commission Regulation 2023/1670) was enacted in 2023 and goes into effect in February. The law outlines the ecodesign requirements for smartphones, mobile phones (other than smartphones), cordless phones and tablets. It’s the first piece of European legislation taking a full lifecycle approach in which sourcing, manufacturing, use and recycling are addressed and enshrined in a single law.
Under the new law’s due diligence obligations, electronics makers must identify, prevent and address social and environmental risks linked to the sourcing, processing and trading of raw materials (i.e., lithium, cobalt, nickel and natural graphite) contained in their batteries. Also, replacement batteries for any model will have to be made available to users for at least five years after the last unit of the product is placed on the market.
“The new Batteries Regulation will ensure that, in the future, batteries have a low carbon footprint, use minimal harmful substances, need less raw materials from non-EU countries, and are collected, reused and recycled to a high degree in Europe,” the European Commission explained when the law was enacted. “This will support the shift to a circular economy, increase security of supply for raw materials and energy, and enhance the EU’s strategic autonomy.”
Driving the Green Transition
The Commission says batteries are a key technology to drive the green transition, support sustainable mobility and contribute to climate neutrality by 2050. It says the Batteries Regulation will ensure that “batteries placed on the EU single market will only be allowed to contain a restricted amount of harmful substances that are necessary.”
Batteries in smartphones and tablets are currently built into devices in a way that only specialists can remove and replace them once depleted. “This leads to high replacement costs for users, who often opt to buy new devices even when their old ones are otherwise perfectly functional,” The Olive Press says.
Soon, EU consumers will be able to remove and replace the portable batteries in their electronic products. To help consumers make informed decisions on which batteries to purchase, products will come with a QR code for detailed information on each battery. “That will help consumers and especially professionals along the value chain in their efforts to make the circular economy a reality for batteries,” the Commission explains.
Not as Easy as it Sounds
The directive includes exceptions. Where safety or waterproofing could be compromised, for example, battery replacements will require professional assistance. As part of the same package of measures, rolled out in stages since 2023, the EU has also mandated that all phones use more durable batteries and offer greater resistance to wear.
A separate directive also mandated that all phones and tablets manufactured after 2024 be chargeable via universal USB-C ports. According to EU data, around 150 million smartphones and 24 million tablets are sold across the EU each year. This amounts to roughly 5 million tons of electronic waste a year, and less than 40% of that e-waste is properly recycled.
Even with the new law coming into focus, TechRadar says a return to the old approach to battery replacement—where a phone case could be popped off by hand and the battery swapped out in a couple of seconds—is unlikely. “…maybe it's less a case of pop-out batteries, and more a case of a couple of tiny disassembly tools included in the box,” it adds, “though we'll have to wait and see exactly how phone makers react.”
