New Rules for Batteries: What Does EU Regulation 2023/1542 Bring and What Is Changing?

If you place batteries or products containing batteries on the market, important changes await you in the coming months and years. The new European regulation on batteries and waste batteries is gradually tightening the rules on their labelling, collection and recycling. In this article, we give an overview of what is changing, when it takes effect and what you should prepare for now.

What the Regulation Changes

The new regulation divides batteries into five categories: portable batteries, industrial batteries, electric vehicle (EV) batteries, batteries for light means of transport such as e-bikes and e-scooters (LMT), and starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries. For each of these, the regulation sets specific requirements for composition, labelling, safety, carbon footprint and end-of-life management. The aim is to recover as much as possible of the metals contained in waste batteries, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel or copper, thereby reducing Europe’s dependence on imported raw materials.

Key Deadlines

• 18 August 2025 – the rules on the management of waste batteries (collection, treatment, recycling efficiency targets) took effect, replacing the original directive.

• 18 August 2026 – the new battery labelling requirements under Article 13 of the regulation begin to apply.

• 18 February 2027 – from this date, batteries are also to be marked with a QR code, and larger industrial, LMT and EV batteries will have to carry a full digital battery passport. Until this date, therefore, neither a QR code nor a digital passport is mandatory.

• 18 February 2027 – the rules on the removability and replaceability of batteries in portable devices and in LMTs will also take effect.

What the New Battery Labelling from August 2026 Brings

From 18 August 2026, the new labelling requirements under Article 13 of the regulation began to apply. Specifically, these are:

• a label with basic information (manufacturer identity, battery category, date of manufacture, composition, etc.), mandatory for all types of batteries,

• capacity information for rechargeable portable, LMT and starting batteries,

• information on the minimum average duration and the “non-rechargeable” marking for single-use (non-rechargeable) portable batteries,

• carbon footprint information and performance class classification for electric vehicle batteries.

The European Commission was supposed to adopt an implementing act that would specify these requirements in more technical detail (for example, the exact format and appearance of the labels) by 18 August 2025. However, it missed this deadline. It published the draft text only in December 2025, and a public consultation on it took place in early 2026. The actual binding labelling deadline is tied to the date on which this act takes effect. Until the act is formally adopted and published in the Official Journal of the EU, neither the exact wording of the requirements nor the binding deadline for meeting them is certain.

Stricter Collection Targets

The regulation is also gradually tightening the collection targets for used batteries. Whereas the current collection target for portable batteries was 45% by 2026, the new regulation raises it to 63% by the end of 2027 and 73% by the end of 2030. An even more significant leap awaits batteries from light means of transport (e-bikes, e-scooters), where the target is 51% by the end of 2028 and 61% by the end of 2031. Experience from neighbouring countries shows that this category will be the most challenging. The quantity of batteries placed on the market is growing much faster year on year than the quantity collected. This is one of the reasons why responsible sorting and handing in of used batteries at collection points is more important than ever.

What Is Worth Checking Now

We keep you informed on an ongoing basis about changes in the field of batteries and accumulators. In light of the new requirements, we have the following recommendations for you:

• check whether your current battery labelling complies with the requirements of Annex VI of the regulation,

• prepare the documentation for calculating the carbon footprint of EV batteries,

• verify how your products are classified into the individual categories (portable, industrial, EV, LMT, SLI), since the obligations differ by category,

• follow the development of the implementing act on labelling, which will specify the exact wording and the binding deadline.

We will keep you informed about further legislative developments.