German Battery Act to be amended

The purpose of the amendment act is to further limit the use of cadmium and mercury in batteries, ultimately removing these dangerous substances permanently from circulation. This is why, as of 1^st October 2015, no button cells containing more than 0.0005% of their weight in mercury may be brought into circulation.

From 1^st January 2017, the issue of non-rechargeable and rechargeable batteries containing more than 0.002% of their weight in cadmium and intended for use in wireless electrical tools will also be forbidden. This does not include cadmium-based batteries that are designed for use in emergency and alarm systems, including emergency lighting systems and medical applications.

Any company issuing batteries in Germany for the first time must register online at the website of the German Environment Agency (www.uba.de) (referred to in Section 4 of the revised German Battery Act as “reporting”) and if necessary with the German National Register for Waste Electronic Equipment (EAR) in accordance with the German Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act. In this connection, the FBDi advises businesses that if they will be issuing batteries in multiple EU member states, they will have to be registered in each of these countries (report their entry into the market). Even when importing smaller quantities, manufacturers of batteries must participate in the “Joint Collection Scheme” (www.grs-batterien.de) or establish their own collection system.

The requirements relating to labelling (the crossed-through bin symbol) and the specification of the chemical symbols for cadmium, lead and mercury have now been extended to all batteries (previously only relevant to “batteries containing hazardous substances”). Capacity details must now also be printed on appliance and vehicle batteries, although the specific details of the EU's requirements are still being drafted.