Batteries Act (BattG)
Sustainable development and environmental sustainability as a corporate principle
The Battery Act (BattG) is the German implementation of the European Battery Directive (BATT), which regulates the placing on the market, take-back and environmentally sound disposal of batteries and accumulators. It replaced the old Battery Ordinance (BattV) in 2009 and was comprehensively amended in 2021 (BattG2).
Take-back obligations and collection rates
Manufacturers and distributors of batteries in the EU are obliged to set up take-back schemes or to participate in the Joint Take-Back Scheme (GRS).
The German Battery Act (BattG) and the EU Battery Regulation stipulate binding minimum collection rates for waste batteries in order to promote a circular economy. A collection rate of 50% has applied to waste portable batteries since 2021. The EU Regulation is gradually increasing these rates: to 63% by the end of 2027 and 73% by the end of 2030, including new targets for batteries in light vehicles.
DEUTA sources batteries exclusively from manufacturers and distributors that produce or sell in Germany. Consequently, we are not a battery manufacturer and are exempt from the reporting requirement to the Federal Environment Agency (Section 4 of the Battery Act).
All batteries and accumulators used by us are encapsulated and installed in a sealed housing, meaning they are classified as portable batteries.
Definitions
BattG - Batteriegesetz (Batteries Act)
BattV - Batterieverordnung (Battery regulation)
GRS - Gemeinsames Rücknahmesystem (Common Collection System)
UBA - Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency)
‘Automotive batteries’ are batteries which are intended for the starting motor, the lighting or for the ignition of vehicles. Vehicles in the sense of sentence 1 are land vehicles which are propelled by mechanical force and are not on rail tracks.
“Industrial batteries” are batteries intended exclusively for industrial, commercial or agricultural purposes, for electric vehicles of any kind or for the propulsion of hybrid vehicles. Vehicle batteries are not industrial batteries. The provisions of this Act relating to industrial batteries shall apply to batteries that are not vehicle, industrial or portable batteries.
‘Device batteries’ are batteries which are encapsulated and can be held in the hand. Automotive and industrial batteries are not device batteries.