New EU battery legislation enters into force, targeting sustainability and safety

New European battery regulations have entered into force. According to the European Commission, the regulations will ensure that batteries have a low carbon footprint in the future, use a minimum of hazardous substances and fewer raw materials from outside the EU, and are reused or recycled on a large scale in Europe at the end of their life. 

The European Commission estimates that demand for batteries will grow sharply, increasing up to fourteenfold by 2030. The EU's share of global battery demand is expected to reach around 17 % over that period.

"This will be driven mainly by the electrification of transport. The expected exponential growth in demand for batteries will lead to a similar increase in demand for raw materials, so we must minimise the environmental impact," the European Commission said.

The new regulations, which recently entered into force, will support the transition to a circular economy, increase the security of raw material and energy supplies, and strengthen the European Union's strategic autonomy, according to the Commission.