PRESS RELEASE - 10.03.2022

The European Parliament has overwhelmingly adopted a report to make batteries more sustainable, from the sourcing of materials and durable and reparable design to improved consumer information. BEUC applauds the Parliament for this consumer-friendly move and urges Member States to maintain such level of ambition when they adopt their position.

BEUC’s Director General Monique Goyens commented:

“With batteries increasingly powering consumer products, from laptops and smartphones to e-bikes and electric vehicles, more sustainable batteries need to become the norm. Not only should batteries be safe, but also be more durable, removable, replaceable, reusable and recyclable. Consumers keep reporting batteries defect as a major concern especially for electronics such as smartphones,1 so designing batteries that last longer would save consumers frustration and money.

“The EU Parliament sends the right signal, pushing for longer-lasting batteries, better information to consumers such as expected lifetime and easier replacement. Our eyes are now on Member States, as the Council will discuss their position shortly. We urge them to follow in the steps of the Parliament and make sure the EU’s position is as ambitious as possible.

“All types of batteries should be covered by requirements of sustainability and due diligence laws, which would oblige large companies to meet minimum environmental and labour standards in their supply chain. The Council should also seize the opportunity to improve the Parliament’s position and expand such rules to batteries sold on online marketplaces. Consumers should be able to get more sustainable batteries wherever they buy them, whether it is in brick-and-mortar shops or online.”

Background:

• BEUC position paper “MORE SUSTAINABLE BATTERIES: LOADING… BEUC’s position on the EU proposal for a Batteries Regulation”, 2021.

BEUC is part of PROMPT, a research project testing the premature obsolescence of some consumer products. See factsheet.

ENDS

1 Based on consumer data collected through the PROMPT project: https://ulir.ul.ie/bitstream/handle/10344/10186/Thysen_and_Berwald_2021_Consumers_experiences.pdf?sequence=2