Different charging standards, devices that can hardly be repaired and are therefore quickly disposed of – the EU Parliament took up the fight against the growing electronic waste a while ago. Now the built-in batteries come into focus.
Technical devices used to be relatively easy to repair. But then manufacturers started gluing components together and installing them so firmly that they were only accessible with special tools. As a result, the cost of a repair grew, which is why it became increasingly unpopular. Instead, many users disposed of cell phones and the like and decided to buy new ones – a catastrophe for the environment and resources. Above all, consumable items such as batteries are affected by the problem, but the EU Parliament now wants to put an end to that.
The EU Parliament wants to take action against permanently installed batteries
The EU Parliament would like to ban permanently installed or even glued batteries in electronic devices in the future. It should already be ready in January 2023, provided the EU Council of Ministers agrees. With the decision, the MEPs want to increase the service life of the devices by making it much easier to replace defective batteries. That doesn’t mean, however, that it goes back to earlier times when users could replace the batteries themselves via a flap or a removable back panel. Rather, with the decision, the EU Parliament wants to significantly minimize the effort involved in replacing it and thus also make it possible outside of manufacturer workshops and special shops.
Also Read: Are Smartphone Manufacturers Deliberately Making Repairs Difficult?
The regulation not only affects smartphones, but all types of devices that are operated with batteries. This also includes laptops, e-bikes, mobile game consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, as well as radios and loudspeakers. So far, these products have usually been disposed of as soon as the battery is defective. A repair is usually too complicated and too expensive.
Battery manufacturers also have to adapt
However, the planned decision does not only affect the hardware manufacturers. The producers of rechargeable batteries and batteries will probably have to adapt to changes in the future. At the request of the EU Parliament, by 2024 all rechargeable batteries and batteries used in smartphones and the like must be designed in such a way that they can be easily and safely removed and replaced by consumers or independent operators. At the same time, MEPs are in favor of minimum values for recovered raw materials such as cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel. So you want to significantly increase the recycling rate of valuable materials.
Their promotion, including the working conditions and risks in the respective country, should also become more transparent across the entire supply chain. The battery industry should therefore be obliged to comply with the internationally recognized due diligence standard throughout the entire manufacturing process.
Also read: Uniform charging cables for mobile phones, tablets and the like are getting closer
Industry unenthusiastic
Not surprisingly, the industry is not very enthusiastic about the planned decision. She criticizes that the EU Parliament’s plans would affect the durability and safety of the batteries. Parliament countered with mandatory information on the energy and performance as well as the life and durability of batteries.
The new decision could also mean that smartphone manufacturers will have to adjust the production of their devices in the future. Because of all the technical components, they have been fighting for every millimeter of space in the case for a long time. Removable batteries could become a problem here.