The EU Battery Regulation governs batteries across their full life cycle, with rules for sustainability, labelling, due diligence, producer responsibility, waste and digital passports.
It applies to batteries placed on the EU market or put into service, including imported batteries and batteries incorporated into products. The operative duties depend on battery category, economic role and the effective date of each provision.
Status
Published: Official Journal of the EU, 28 July 2023 (OJ L 2023/1542)
In force: 17 August 2023
Repeals: Battery Directive 2006/66/EC (repealed progressively — Directive 2006/66/EC ceases to apply as provisions below enter force)
Phased application milestones:
| Date | What applies |
|---|---|
| 18 February 2024 | The regulation generally began to apply, subject to the later dates attached to individual provisions (Art. 96) |
| 18 February 2025 | Carbon footprint declaration for EV batteries (Art. 7(1)) |
| 18 February 2026 | Carbon footprint declaration for rechargeable industrial batteries >2kWh (except exclusively external storage) (Art. 7(1)) |
| 18 August 2026 | Carbon footprint performance classes for EV batteries (Art. 7(2)) |
| 18 February 2027 | Battery passport mandatory for EV batteries, LMT batteries, and industrial batteries >2kWh (Art. 77) |
| 18 August 2027 | Battery due-diligence policies apply to economic operators above the Article 47 turnover threshold (Art. 48, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561) |
| 18 August 2027 | Carbon footprint performance classes for rechargeable industrial batteries >2kWh (except exclusively external storage) (Art. 7(2)) |
| 18 August 2028 | Carbon footprint declaration for LMT batteries (Art. 7(1)) |
| 18 February 2030 | Carbon footprint performance classes for LMT batteries (Art. 7(2)) |
| 18 August 2030 | Carbon footprint declaration for rechargeable industrial batteries with external storage (Art. 7(1)) |
| 18 August 2031 | Recycled content minimum targets (first tier) — cobalt 16%, lead 85%, lithium 6%, nickel 6% (Art. 8(2)) — industrial >2kWh, EV and SLI batteries |
| 18 August 2036 | Recycled content second tier minimums — cobalt 26%, lead 85%, lithium 12%, nickel 15% (Art. 8(3)) — industrial >2kWh, EV, LMT and SLI batteries |
Each Art. 7 date applies from the stated date or 12–18 months after entry into force of the relevant delegated/implementing act, whichever is the latest (Art. 7(1)–(2)).
Implementation dependency: Several carbon-footprint dates apply on the stated date or a later date calculated from the relevant delegated and implementing acts. Check those acts before treating a headline date as the operative deadline.
Scope
The regulation applies to all batteries — regardless of whether they were manufactured in the EU or imported — when they are placed on the EU market or put into service. This includes second-life batteries and waste batteries.
Five battery categories
| Category | Definition | Key examples |
|---|---|---|
| Portable batteries | Any battery that is sealed, weighs ≤5kg, not specifically designed for industrial use, and is not an EV, LMT, SLI, or industrial battery | AA/AAA cells, laptop batteries, power tools (below thresholds) |
| SLI batteries (starter-lighting-ignition) | Batteries designed primarily to start combustion engines, lighting or ignition in vehicles | Car starter batteries |
| LMT batteries (light means of transport) | Batteries designed to power light vehicles (e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds) — specifically for vehicles within L-category (EU type approval) | E-bike batteries, e-scooter batteries |
| Industrial batteries | Batteries designed for industrial use, not portable/SLI/EV/LMT | Stationary energy storage, forklift batteries, UPS systems |
| EV batteries | Batteries designed to power electric vehicles (M/N category for road transport) | EV traction packs |
Who is in scope
| Role | Definition | Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Natural or legal person who manufactures batteries or has them designed/manufactured and markets them under their name or trademark | Conformity assessment, technical documentation, EU declaration of conformity, CE marking and applicable product requirements |
| Importer | Person established in the EU who places batteries from a third country on the EU market | Verify manufacturer compliance; refuse non-compliant batteries; cooperate with market surveillance |
| Distributor | Person other than manufacturer/importer making batteries available on the market | Check CE marking + labels; traceability obligations |
| Producer | Manufacturer, importer, distributor or other person that first supplies a battery in a Member State under the conditions in Article 3(47) | Producer registration, extended producer responsibility, collection and financing duties |
| Economic operator | Includes manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers, distributors, fulfilment service providers and other people with specified lifecycle or market duties | All obligations assigned to the operator's particular role |
| End-user | Consumer or professional user | Collection, return obligations |
Pillars / Structure
| Pillar | Articles | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| General provisions | Art. 1–6 | Scope, definitions, free movement |
| Sustainability and safety | Art. 7–14 | Carbon footprint (Art. 7); recycled content (Art. 8); performance + durability (Art. 9–12); safety (Art. 13); identification marking (Art. 14) |
| Labelling and information | Art. 13–14 + Annexes VI–IX | Labels, QR codes, hazard marking |
| Due diligence | Art. 47–53 | Supply chain due diligence for critical raw materials |
| Producer responsibility and waste batteries | Art. 54–76 | Registration, collection, treatment, recycling efficiency and material recovery |
| Battery passport | Art. 77 | Digital record per battery (EV, LMT, industrial >2kWh) |
| Conformity bodies and market surveillance | Art. 22–37 and 79–86 | Notified bodies, compliance controls and enforcement |
| Final provisions | Art. 87–96 | Delegated acts, penalties, review, repeal and application |
Key obligations
Carbon footprint (Art. 7)
Carbon footprint declaration required for EV batteries (from 18 Feb 2025), rechargeable industrial batteries >2kWh except exclusively external storage (from 18 Feb 2026), LMT batteries (from 18 Aug 2028), and rechargeable industrial batteries with external storage (from 18 Aug 2030) — each date, or later, pegged to the relevant delegated and implementing acts.
Carbon footprint performance classes — The regulation requires a label stating the battery's carbon footprint and performance class. The statutory start points are 18 Aug 2026 (EV), 18 Aug 2027 (rechargeable industrial >2kWh except exclusively external storage), and 18 Feb 2030 (LMT), or a later date calculated from the relevant delegated and implementing acts. Separate maximum carbon-footprint thresholds follow on later statutory or delegated-act dates.
Recycled content (Art. 8)
Minimum recycled content from 18 August 2031 (industrial batteries >2kWh except exclusively external storage, EV batteries and SLI batteries): cobalt 16%, lead 85%, lithium 6%, nickel 6% (Art. 8(2)). From 18 August 2036 (same categories plus LMT batteries): cobalt 26%, lead 85%, lithium 12%, nickel 15% (Art. 8(3)).
Due diligence on critical raw materials (Art. 47–53)
Supply chain due diligence system — From the amended application date, economic operators above the Article 47 turnover threshold that place batteries on the market or put them into service must implement a battery due-diligence policy. The policy concerns cobalt, natural graphite, lithium and nickel, plus any raw materials later added to Annex X, and must align with the internationally recognised instruments listed there.
Due diligence scope — Must cover: (a) management system (policy adopted, supplier engagement, grievance mechanism); (b) risk identification in supply chain (country of origin, conflict-affected areas, human rights risks); (c) risk mitigation; (d) third-party audits of upstream supply chain; (e) public reporting annually.
Phase-in: The due-diligence obligations apply from 18 August 2027 to economic operators that place batteries on the market or put them into service (Art. 48(1), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561). The chapter does not apply to economic operators with a net turnover below EUR 40 million in the financial year preceding the last financial year, provided they are not part of a group exceeding EUR 40 million on a consolidated basis (Art. 47).
Battery passport (Art. 77)
Battery passport mandatory from 18 February 2027 for EV batteries, LMT batteries, and industrial batteries with a capacity >2kWh. Each in-scope battery has an electronic record containing the applicable model-level and battery-specific information listed in Annex XIII.
Battery passport access — The passport is accessed through the battery's QR code, which links to the unique identifier assigned by the economic operator placing it on the market. Annex XIII separates publicly accessible data from information restricted to authorities, notified bodies or people with a legitimate interest.
Conformity assessment and CE marking
Conformity and CE marking — Before placing a battery on the market or putting it into service, the manufacturer must prepare the technical documentation and complete the conformity-assessment procedure applicable under Article 17 and Annex VIII. A compliant battery receives an EU declaration of conformity and CE marking.
Registration in national producer registers — Each Member State establishes a register of producers (Art. 55); producers must apply for registration in each Member State where they first make a battery available on the market, and may only make batteries available there once registered (directly or via an authorised representative).
Waste battery obligations
Extended producer responsibility (Art. 56) — Producers have extended producer responsibility for batteries they first make available in a Member State and finance separate collection, transport and treatment. Waste portable-battery collection targets are 63% by 31 December 2027 and 73% by 31 December 2030; waste LMT-battery targets are 51% by 31 December 2028 and 61% by 31 December 2031.
Recycling and material-recovery targets — By 31 December 2025, recycling-efficiency targets are 75% by average weight for lead-acid batteries, 65% for lithium-based batteries, 80% for nickel-cadmium batteries and 50% for other waste batteries. By 31 December 2030, lead-acid rises to 80% and lithium-based batteries to 70%. Material-recovery targets for 31 December 2027 are 90% for cobalt, copper, lead and nickel, and 50% for lithium; the 31 December 2031 targets are 95% for cobalt, copper, lead and nickel, and 80% for lithium.
Questions to answer
Do you place batteries on the EU market or put them into service — regardless of whether they were manufactured in the EU or imported?
In which role: manufacturer (batteries marketed under your name or trademark), importer (EU-established, placing third-country batteries on the market), or distributor?
Which battery categories do your products fall into — portable, SLI, LMT, industrial, or EV — and for industrial batteries, is capacity above 2kWh (a trigger used by the carbon-footprint and battery-passport provisions)?
For due diligence: was the operator's net turnover below EUR 40 million in the financial year preceding the last financial year, without belonging to a group exceeding EUR 40 million consolidated (Art. 47 exclusion)? If not excluded, the obligations apply from 18 August 2027 (Art. 48(1), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561).
Do the in-scope batteries contain cobalt, natural graphite, lithium, or nickel — the critical raw materials subject to OECD-based supply chain due diligence?
Are you a recycler or second-life battery operator (waste battery provisions, Art. 54–76: collection targets, recycling efficiency, material recovery)?
Are you only a user of batteries (e.g. forklifts in warehouses)? If so, the forklift manufacturer/importer bears the obligations — not the user.
If none of the triggering facts hold, the framework is unlikely to apply. Document the conclusion and reassess it if the organisation's products, market role or turnover change.
Cross-references
CSRD — Battery carbon-footprint and supply-chain evidence may also support relevant CSRD and ESRS disclosures; assess each reporting requirement separately.
CSDDD — Battery Regulation Article 48 and CSDDD create distinct due-diligence regimes; map shared evidence, but test compliance against each instrument separately.
EUDR — structural parallel: both regulations impose due diligence + documentation + registration obligations on operators placing product on the EU market; EUDR covers wood/biomass, Battery Reg covers battery materials; same operational pattern
EUR-Lex (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj
EUR-Lex (Regulation (EU) 2025/1561, battery due-diligence postponement): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/1561/oj
Official Journal publication (28 July 2023): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202301542
European Commission — Battery Regulation implementation: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/automotive-industry/vehicle-type-approval/battery-passport_en
OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains: https://www.oecd.org/daf/inv/mne/mining.htm
European Battery Alliance: https://www.eba250.com/
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 7(1) · View source
"For electric vehicle batteries, rechargeable industrial batteries with a capacity greater than 2 kWh and LMT batteries a carbon footprint declaration shall be drawn up for each battery model per manufacturing plant [...]" [verified:2026-07-31 via CELEX:32023R1542 (OJ XHTML, Publications Office)]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 7(2)–(3) · View source
"Electric vehicle batteries, rechargeable industrial batteries with a capacity greater than 2 kWh and LMT batteries shall bear a conspicuous, clearly legible and indelible label indicating the carbon footprint of the battery [...] and declaring the carbon footprint performance class to which the relevant battery model per manufacturing plant corresponds. [...] the technical documentation referred to in Annex VIII shall demonstrate that the declared life cycle carbon footprint value for the relevant battery model per manufacturing plant, is below the maximum threshold established in the delegated act [...]" [verified:2026-07-31 via CELEX:32023R1542 (OJ XHTML, Publications Office)]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 8(2)–(3) · View source
"From 18 August 2031, for industrial batteries with a capacity greater than 2 kWh, except those with exclusively external storage, electric vehicle batteries and SLI batteries that contain cobalt, lead, lithium or nickel in active materials, the technical documentation referred to in Annex VIII shall demonstrate that those batteries contain, in active materials, the following minimum percentage share [...] 16 % cobalt; [...] 85 % lead; [...] 6 % lithium; [...] 6 % nickel." [verified:2026-07-31 via CELEX:32023R1542 (OJ XHTML, Publications Office)]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 47 and Art. 48(1), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 · View amendment
Article 47 excludes economic operators below EUR 40 million net turnover, subject to the consolidated group test. Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 replaces the Article 48(1) application date of 18 August 2025 with 18 August 2027. [verified:2026-08-15 via CELEX:32023R1542 and CELEX:32025R1561, Publications Office]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 49 · View source
"Each economic operator referred to in Article 48(1) shall [...] adopt, and clearly communicate to suppliers and the public, a company battery due diligence policy, concerning raw materials listed in point 1 of Annex X, and associated social and environmental risk categories listed in point 2 of Annex X; [...] establish and operate a system of controls and transparency regarding the supply chain, including a chain of custody or traceability system, identifying upstream actors in the supply chain; [...] establish a grievance mechanism, including an early-warning risk-awareness system and a remediation mechanism [...]" [verified:2026-07-31 via CELEX:32023R1542 (OJ XHTML, Publications Office)]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 77(1) · View source
"From 18 February 2027 each LMT battery, each industrial battery with a capacity greater than 2 kWh and each electric vehicle battery placed on the market or put into service shall have an electronic record (‘battery passport’)." [verified:2026-07-31 via CELEX:32023R1542 (OJ XHTML, Publications Office)]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 77(3) · View source
"The battery passport shall be accessible through the QR code referred to in Article 13(6) which links to a unique identifier that the economic operator placing the battery on the market shall attribute to it." [verified:2026-07-31 via CELEX:32023R1542 (OJ XHTML, Publications Office)]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 38(2)–(3) · View source
"Before placing a battery on the market or putting it into service, manufacturers shall draw up the technical documentation referred to in Annex VIII and carry out the relevant conformity assessment procedure, referred to in Article 17, or have it carried out. [...] manufacturers shall draw up an EU declaration of conformity in accordance with Article 18 and affix the CE marking in accordance with Articles 19 and 20." [verified:2026-07-31 via CELEX:32023R1542 (OJ XHTML, Publications Office)]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 55(2) · View source
"Producers shall register in the register referred to in paragraph 1. They shall to that end submit an application for registration in each Member State where they make a battery available on the market for the first time." [verified:2026-07-31 via CELEX:32023R1542 (OJ XHTML, Publications Office)]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 56, Art. 59(3) and Art. 60(3) · View source
Producers have extended producer responsibility for batteries first made available in a Member State. Article 59 sets waste portable-battery collection targets of 63% by 31 December 2027 and 73% by 31 December 2030; Article 60 sets waste LMT-battery targets of 51% by 31 December 2028 and 61% by 31 December 2031. [verified:2026-08-15 via CELEX:32023R1542, Publications Office]
: EU Battery Regulation · Art. 71(2) and Annex XII Parts B–C · View source
Annex XII sets the battery-chemistry recycling-efficiency targets for 2025 and 2030 and the cobalt, copper, lead, lithium and nickel material-recovery targets for 2027 and 2031. [verified:2026-08-15 via CELEX:32023R1542, Publications Office]
Last reviewed
2026-08-15 · Saga editorial team
Wiki summarises the regulator's text; for binding interpretation, consult counsel.