The European Union (EU) has recently passed a new law, mandating that all smartphone manufacturers must return to the previous practice of equipping their devices with removable batteries by the year 2027. This regulation aims to allow users to easily replace worn-out batteries themselves.
In addition to smartphones, the EU has explicitly specified that all tablets, cameras, and laptops must also feature user-friendly designs with easily removable and replaceable batteries, without the need for specific tools to open the device.
Before the advent of market-dominating brands like Apple, smartphones and laptops used to have removable batteries. Users could simply replace a depleted battery with a fresh one and charge batteries separately, rather than relying on portable chargers as is the case today. The EU’s requirement to revert to this type of battery design is undoubtedly welcome news for consumers.
The EU’s decision stems from the fact that many smartphones can still function properly even after 4-5 years, but the cost of battery replacement often exceeds the price of purchasing a new phone (we’re looking at you, Apple). Consequently, many users discard their old devices, leading to an increase in electronic waste.
It’s worth mentioning that, in addition to affecting smartphone manufacturers, the regulation will also require the carbon footprint generated during the production of batteries for electric vehicles to be explicitly stated and labeled on the batteries. This measure aims to ensure that the use of electric vehicle batteries does not result in a dirtier environmental impact compared to traditional fuel-burning vehicles.
Furthermore, the EU is considering a comprehensive ban on non-rechargeable dry-cell batteries by 2030. However, this regulation is currently under discussion.
