Federal Ministry of the Environment announces changes to Batteries Act
The Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU) plans to make certain changes to the Batteries Act. According to the Joint Battery Returns System (GRS), this decision was triggered by “flaws in the structural implementation of the Batteries Act (BattG)” which lead to “considerable distortions in competition” for certain companies.
The key elements of the changes to the law are to be as follows:
A central authority is to be introduced, with which manufacturers will have to register. This authority will also record the numbers of batteries sold and taken back. This task will probably be taken on by stiftung ear, which already performs similar duties in the context of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG).
GRS is to focus on fulfilling generic duties, e.g. ensuring that a comprehensive nationwide system for collecting used batteries is in place, communicating with consumers, as well as carrying out research and development.
In future, all manufacturers will be obliged to resort to so-called “individual manufacturer” collection systems in fulfilling their obligation to take back batteries.
A concrete draft of the new law is likely to be published in the second half of this year. The exact details and the time when the new law comes into force are not yet known.
We will keep you updated on further developments in the Batteries Act.
