The European Union regulates batteries and their waste through Directive 2006/66/EC, of ​​the European Parliament and of the Council, of 6 September 2006, contributing to the protection of the quality of the environment, minimizing the negative impact of batteries, accumulators and their waste, and harmonizing the requirements for placing these goods on the market.

The Directive prohibits the sale of batteries containing hazardous substances, defines measures for collection and recycling, sets targets for these activities, and establishes provisions on the labeling of batteries and their removal from equipment, also aiming to improve the environmental performance of all operators involved in the life cycle of batteries and accumulators.

This Directive is currently transposed into the national legal system by Decree-Law No. 152-D/2017, of 11 December, which we develop in the article below.

To update and intensify the applicable regulatory framework, the European Commission conducted an assessment on the application of the Directive, having concluded with positive results in terms of the environment, the promotion of recycling and the functioning of the internal market for batteries and recycled materials. But he identified some limitations, namely regarding technological innovations, such as the batteries of electric vehicles.

In fact, the European Commission presented a proposal for the Sustainable Batteries Regulation, whose novelties we also analyse, with interest for producers, distributors, traders and other economic operators in the scope of waste flows.

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