Regulation (EU) 2023/1542

The EU Battery Regulation

Listrar summary

Batteries got their passport before anyone else. From February 2027, every EV battery, every industrial battery over 2 kWh and every light-means-of-transport battery placed on the EU market must carry its own digital passport — unique to the individual battery, QR-coded, resolvable. The regulation also imposes carbon-footprint declarations, recycled-content minimums and a supply-chain due-diligence duty that already applies. It is the working prototype of everything ESPR generalises.

Who does it apply to?

Manufacturers and producers of batteries placed on the EU market, standalone or built into products
Suppliers of battery cells and modules (art. 39)
Importers and distributors (arts. 41-42)
Economic operators above €40m turnover, for the due-diligence chapter (arts. 48-53)
Fulfilment service providers (art. 43)

Main obligations

Label and QR-code batteries with the information of art. 13 and Annex VI
Declare the carbon footprint of EV and industrial batteries, phased by battery class
Meet minimum recycled-content shares for cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel, with documentation
Run a battery due-diligence policy on raw materials — cobalt, lithium, natural graphite, nickel — third-party verified (arts. 48-51)
From 18 February 2027: create and keep a battery passport per individual battery (arts. 77-78)

Key dates

28 July 2023: Published in the Official Journal
17 August 2023: In force
18 February 2024: Main provisions apply
18 August 2025: Due-diligence obligations apply — already binding
18 February 2027: Battery passport required: EV, LMT, industrial > 2 kWh

Products in scope

Electric-vehicle batteries
Light-means-of-transport batteries — e-bikes, scooters
Industrial batteries above 2 kWh
Portable batteries (labelling, collection and removability duties; no passport)
Starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries

Obligations by actor

Manufacturer: Conformity, labelling, carbon footprint, recycled content, the passport itself (art. 38)
Cell/module supplier: Hand the manufacturer the data the passport needs (art. 39)
Importer: Verify conformity and passport presence before placing on the market (art. 41)
Distributor: Check labelling and documentation before sale (art. 42)
Large operators: Due-diligence policy on raw materials, verified by a notified body (arts. 48-51)

Documents and evidence to keep

Carbon-footprint studies and their calculation files, per model and plant
Recycled-content documentation traced to suppliers
Due-diligence policy, risk assessments and third-party verification reports
The passport record per battery, kept current through the battery's life — including second life

Sanctions and risks

Member-State penalties (art. 93) plus market withdrawal of non-compliant batteries
Due-diligence failures are grounds for restriction on their own (art. 84)
From 2027, a battery without a resolving passport cannot be placed on the market at all

Key articles

Art. 13 — labelling and the QR code
Art. 38-44 — duties of manufacturers, suppliers, importers, distributors
Art. 48-53 — battery due diligence: policy, risk management, third-party checks
Art. 77-78 — the battery passport and its technical design
Art. 93 — penalties