About a month ago, the European Parliament voted for a new law that will require this, among other things batteries in consumer devices such as smartphones could be replaced and can be easily removed from the device. In order for this to be a reality, however, some procedures were missing at the time, in order for the law to be finally approved. But that’s it, after The European Council approved this new law this week.

This means, among other things, that device manufacturers will have to ensure that all devices they want to sell in the European Union by 2027 have batteries that can be easily replaced. All that remains is for representatives of the European Council and Parliament to sign the law, which will happen in a few days. After that, a grace period will be opened until the said year, in which manufacturers will have enough time to redesign their devices.

Specifically, this new law states that users should be able to replace the battery in their phone without having to have special experience or tools to do so. Since almost all smartphones today are designed in such a way that their closure depends on the extensive use of adhesives, the basis on which companies design smartphones will have to change. Of course, it’s still too early to know how this law will change different smartphone models.

In addition to this rule, the law introduces other changes in relation to the handling of batteries after their disposal. Manufacturers will thus have to collect 63% of the portable batteries that usually end up in landfills by the end of 2027. And by 2030, this percentage will have to rise to 73%.

By 2027, recovery of lithium from used batteries will have to be 50% and by the end of 2031, 80%. The law not only states that this lithium will have to be recovered, but also that it will have to be prepared and recycled to be used again in new batteries.

Batteries for electric vehicles and for industrial use, among others, will have to be manufactured using a minimum percentage of recycled content. Initially, this percentage will be 16% for cobalt, 85% for graphite and 6% for lithium and nickel. In addition, by the end of 2025, nickel-cadmium batteries will have to have a recycling efficiency target of 80%, while all other batteries should have a minimum efficiency target of 50%.

Teresa Ribera, Minister of Ecological Transformation of SpainHe said that “Batteries are key to the decarbonisation process and the EU’s move towards zero-emission transport. In addition, end-of-life batteries contain many valuable resources and we must be able to reuse critical raw materials rather than rely on them. from third countries for supplies. The new rules will boost the competitiveness of European industry and ensure that new batteries are sustainable and contribute to the green transition«.