Batteries have a limited lifespan. Making sure they are removable and replaceable is crucial to extend product lifespans beyond the useful life of just one battery. In 2023, the EU Batteries Regulation was finally adopted and entered into force, to ensure this key technology is produced, used and disposed of more sustainably. Article 11 of the Batteries Regulation focuses specifically on removability and replaceability requirements of portable batteries and batteries of light means of transport (LMT). This article will enter into force in February 2027, and in the meantime the EU Commission has worked on guidelines for its application. Our coalition has provided input throughout this process.
The guidelines for harmonised application of Art.11 of the Batteries Regulation were recently published in the EU Official Journal. Although not legally binding, these guidelines do shed light on several provisions of Art.11 and guide their interpretation and future application. We, as usual, took a closer look at what they contain – and what they don’t.
Definitions and Derogations
To start with, the guidelines further clarify some definitions – such as who is considered to be an “independent professional” for repair operations. Guidance on tool types was also offered following the standard EN:45554(2020). However, it is regrettable that in order to consider a battery readily removable by end-users, according to the guidelines it is enough for it to be removable with commercially available tools instead of basic tools, which would (i) make repair more accessible to everyone and (ii) align with existing Ecodesign regulations.
Partial derogations from Art.11 requirements are possible for products designed to operate primarily in a wet environment. The guidelines confirm five criteria that must be met in order for such derogations to be allowed – in which case batteries only have to be replaceable by an independent professional, not by an end-user. The criteria of “compromising safety” and “no way to redesign” the product were kept robust, each requiring direct evidence in the product documentation. As a result, one would logically expect products’ ingress-protection (IP) ratings to be confirmed as insufficient to prove compliance with the criteria. However, the guidelines text contains an important spelling mistake, specifying IP ratings can be considered “sufficient” to prove compliance, a typo that must be corrected promptly to avoid confusion.
Some products benefit from a full derogation from the rules, such as life-sustaining or safety-critical products like implantable active medical devices or smoke detectors, or products continuously collecting data such as laboratory devices or point-of-sale (POS) hardware. Unfortunately, hearing aids were also included among the products eligible for full derogation due to “safety risks” in case of battery replacement, even though it can be perfectly safe for the user to replace such batteries.
What about Smartphone Batteries?
Regrettably, a huge opportunity was missed to make all smartphone and tablet batteries removable and replaceable by end-users. After several changes of direction by the Commission throughout the legislative process on the matter, the guidelines state that for portable batteries covered by the Ecodesign regulation for smartphones and tablets, the latter will prevail over the Batteries Regulation, allowing an important exemption from removability and replaceability requirements for devices meeting certain battery longevity and waterproofing requirements. Not only does this run directly against the aim of the Batteries Regulation itself, but it also risks setting a dangerous precedent ahead of future product-specific Ecodesign requirements, reinforcing a false dichotomy between durability and repairability.
Compatibility and Availability of Spare Batteries
When the time comes to replace a battery, one would expect that spare batteries are available and compatible with the respective device. One would also hope that compatibility is not restricted to original batteries only. Luckily, the guidelines clarify that the design of batteries has to allow the use of both original and compatible batteries, while ensuring safety, performance and functionality for both. They also prohibit software practices that limit replaceability of batteries by influencing products’ functionality, notably parts-pairing. What could be a problem, however, is that providing instructions for replacement in the user manual is only “strongly recommended” and not required from manufacturers.
Spare batteries need to be both accessible and affordable to truly enable repair. The guidelines specify that spare batteries need to be offered for at least five years after placing the last product unit on the market. They also offer guidance for the maximum delivery time pointing at existing Ecodesign requirements, and affirm that batteries should be offered at a reasonable and non-discriminatory price. However, this concept is not further defined. A criterion according to proportionality to product price would be appropriate, as studies have shown consumers tend to replace rather than repair when the total cost of repair exceeds 30% of the price of a new product or product equivalent. Since repair costs include not only spare parts but labour and transportation costs too, a proportional threshold of well below 30% of the cost of a new product would be advisable.
This should more broadly be the case for all spare parts of products covered by repairability requirements, as the Right to Repair Directive too provides a requirement for reasonable pricing of spare parts, again without offering guidelines or criteria. At Right to Repair Europe, we will continue advocating for truly reasonable pricing of spare parts and repairs as an essential prerequisite for a universal right to repair. And as Art.11 of the Batteries Regulation enters into force in February 2027, we will monitor the application of the Commission guidelines and their impact on consumers’ right to repair battery-powered devices.