Starting from 24 July 2025, the rules have changed in Europe for those involved in battery recycling. The European Commission has in fact published a new delegated act which introduces precise criteria for calculating the efficiency of recycling and verifying the recovery of the materials contained in used batteries. The goal? Minimize waste, keep materials in the production cycle longer and truly promote a circular economy.
Batteries, yes, but not just accumulators for electric cars: we are talking about lead-acid, lithium, nickel-cadmium and other types of batteries, used everywhere, from smartphones to industrial plants. Recycling them in the right way means not wasting precious and often critical resources, such as lithium, cobalt, copper, lead and nickel, essential for the ecological transition and strategic for the Union’s economy.
Recycling becomes more transparent
In detail, the new rules provide a common methodology for all EU countries, which uniformly establishes how to measure the recycling efficiency and the recovery rate of materials. This is a fundamental step to avoid unfair competition between recyclers and ensure that the data provided is consistent, comparable and verifiable.
To make the process even more transparent, a harmonized format of documentation has also been introduced that recyclers will have to provide to national authorities. The message is clear: we need clear, verifiable and shared numbers at European level.
It is no coincidence that the Commission has decided to intervene right now: in a historical moment in which the demand for critical raw materials is growing strongly, recovery from end-of-life products – such as batteries – represents a concrete and sustainable alternative to extraction.
What will change by 2031
According to the provisions of Annex XII of the Battery Regulation, recyclers will have to achieve the following minimum efficiency objectives by 31 December 2025:
And it doesn’t end there: by December 31, 2030, the thresholds will be raised to 80% for lead-acid batteries and 70% for lithium batteries.
Even on the recovery of critical materials front, the ambitions are high. By the end of 2027, we must be able to recover:
With a further step forward by 2031, when the targets will rise to:
Important numbers, which will force the entire recycling sector to equip itself with more efficient technologies, more rigorous processes and more transparent traceability systems.
The new rules were not imposed from above: they are based on a technical study by the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission, entitled “Technical suggestions for the rules for calculation and verification of rates for recycling efficiency and recovery of materials of waste batteries”. A study resulting from collaboration with stakeholders in the sector, which has allowed us to build a solid foundation to make battery recycling more effective and sustainable in Europe.
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