Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 — the Batteries Regulation — is the EU's single, sweeping rulebook for every battery placed on its market, from the coin cell in a watch to the pack in an electric truck. It replaced the old 2006 Battery Directive with something far broader: rules on carbon footprint, recycled content, supply-chain due diligence, collection and recycling, removability, labelling — and, for the largest batteries, a digital battery passport. Here is the whole picture, and where the passport fits inside it.
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Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, commonly called the Batteries Regulation, entered into force on 17 August 2023 and replaced Directive 2006/66/EC — the old Battery Directive. The two coexisted through a transition: most of the Regulation has applied since 18 February 2024, and the Directive was fully repealed on 18 August 2025, from which point the Regulation is the sole reference. If your compliance documentation still cites the Battery Directive, it is citing law that no longer exists — see what changed between the Battery Directive and the Regulation. The shift from a directive to a regulation matters: a directive had to be transposed into 27 national laws, producing 27 slightly different regimes; a regulation applies directly and identically across the whole EU. It also widened the ambition dramatically — the old directive was largely about collection and hazardous substances, while the new regulation treats a battery across its entire life cycle, from the mining of its raw materials to its second life and recycling.
A note on the EU Omnibus simplification package, which comes up often in connection with this Regulation: it does not remove the battery obligations described here. What it does and does not change is set out in the EU Omnibus package and the DPP.
Crucially, it applies to batteries placed on the market on their own and to batteries incorporated into or added to other products (Article 1) — so an importer of a finished product carries obligations for the battery inside it.
Four dates carry the whole transition. Only the last one is still ahead:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 17 August 2023 | Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 enters into force |
| 18 February 2024 | Most of the Regulation's provisions start to apply |
| 18 August 2025 | Directive 2006/66/EC fully repealed — the Regulation becomes the sole reference |
| 18 February 2027 | Battery passport mandatory under Article 77 for EV batteries, LMT batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh |
The battery passport gets the headlines, but it sits on top of a stack of substantive obligations:
The regulation sorts every battery into one of five categories, and the obligations differ by category:
| Category | What it covers | Battery passport from 18 Feb 2027 | Carbon footprint declaration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portable | Everyday cells and packs in phones, laptops, power tools and household devices | No — outside the passport's scope | No |
| LMT (light means of transport) | Batteries powering e-bikes, e-scooters and e-mopeds | Yes — no capacity threshold | Yes |
| EV (electric vehicle) | Traction batteries in road vehicles | Yes — all EV batteries | Yes |
| Industrial | Batteries for industrial use, including stationary energy storage | Yes — above 2 kWh | Yes (rechargeable) |
| SLI | Starting, lighting and ignition — typically the 12 V starter battery in vehicles | No — outside the passport's scope | No |
Where a battery lands decides which duties apply — from removability (portable) to the passport (EV, LMT and larger industrial).
The battery passport (Article 77) is one pillar among many, and it does not apply to every battery. From 18 February 2027 a passport is mandatory for all EV batteries, all LMT batteries (no capacity threshold) and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. Ordinary portable consumer batteries — laptops, phones, power tools — are outside the passport's scope, though they still face labelling, collection and removability rules. The passport is a structured digital record of roughly a hundred-plus data points — identity, chemistry and materials, carbon footprint, due diligence, performance and durability, circularity — carried by a QR code and kept current for the battery's life. To go deeper, read our battery passport explainer and the data fields it must contain.
Count down to 18 February 2027 and work backwards to when each step has to start for your SKU count.
Take the 2-minute readiness check, watch the 10-minute interactive walkthrough, or download the full 2026 compliance guide. No account needed.
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