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EU could force manufacturers to make their batteries easy to replace

“MEPs want to strengthen new EU rules for the design, production and disposal of batteries ,” headlines a press release from the European Parliament. He says he is ready to negotiate with governments with a view to introducing a new rule for batteries.

The bill passed Thursday with 584 votes in favour, 67 against and 40 abstentions. And among the rules included in this draft legislation is the obligation for manufacturers of smartphones, household appliances, and light means of transport, such as electric bicycles, to make their batteries easier to replace.

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Among the rules, an obligation to make smartphone batteries easily replaceable

The project foresees that by 2024 manufacturers will have to ensure that their batteries are designed in such a way that “Consumers and independent operators can withdraw them themselves easily and safely. »

According to the Sammobile site, this could prohibit the fixing of batteries in smartphones with adhesive, which would force manufacturers, such as Samsung, to adopt new solutions. “Although other smartphone makers have started installing batteries with tabs for easy removal, Samsung has yet to adopt this practice. Instead, the company continues to stick batteries to the chassis of its mobile products using adhesives”explains the news site.

This is confirmed by the iFixit company, which has already carried out a disassembly of the Galaxy S22 in order to assess its repairability. The score obtained by the device was 3 out of 10. And regarding the battery, the company wrote: “These batteries require the usual tedious combo of isopropyl alcohol, suction cup force and patience. »

Of course, Samsung is not the only one to use adhesive for fixing the battery.

A draft law that also mentions human rights

In any case, if the project recently adopted by the European Parliament enters into force, it would force the entire smartphone industry to improve their repairability scores.

Furthermore, according to the proposal, “industry should ensure that the battery value chain fully respects human rights and due diligence obligations, thereby addressing the risks associated with raw material sourcing, processing and trading, which are often concentrated in one or a few countries. »

As the rapporteur Simona Bonafè explains, this would be the first legislation regulating the entire life cycle of a product, from its design to its end of life.

“This creates a new approach to driving battery circularity and introduces new sustainability standards that should become a benchmark for the entire global battery market”, did he declare. It invites the co-legislators to quickly adopt “clear and ambitious rules and deadlines”.

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