Companies that make or sell batteries in Germany will now be required to make changes to their supply-chain process under a new batteries collection law.
The new law, that could come into effect in September, makes it mandatory for German battery traders to register for a “manufacturers’ take-back scheme” and join Germany’s battery clearing house, the Stiftung elektro-altgeräte register (Stiftung EAR), according to media reports.
Reports also state that the rule will be applicable to German battery manufacturers as well as distributors, importers, non-EU based producers who sell their product in the German market, and resellers who had not registered previously.
The German cabinet said that the move became necessary as the current collections scheme for batteries, which is the largest in the EU, has become unsustainable.