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Information on prevention and management of waste batteries

1. In addition to the information referred to in Article 8a(2) of Directive 2008/98/EC, producers or, where appointed in accordance with Article 57(1), producer responsibility organisations shall make available to end-users and distributors the following information regarding the prevention and management of waste batteries with regard to the categories of batteries that they supply within the territory of a Member State:

(a) the role of end-users in contributing to waste prevention, including by information on good practices and recommendations concerning the use of batteries aimed at extending their use phase and the possibilities of re-use, preparation for re-use, preparation for repurposing, repurposing and remanufacturing;

(b) the role of end-users in contributing to the separate collection of waste batteries in accordance with their obligations under Article 64 to allow their treatment;

(c) the separate collection, take-back and collection points, preparation for re-use, preparation for repurposing and treatment available for waste batteries;

(d) the necessary safety instructions to handle waste batteries, including in relation to the risks associated with, and the handling of, batteries containing lithium;

(e) the meaning of the labels and symbols on batteries in accordance with Article 13 or printed on their packaging or in the documents accompanying batteries; and (f) the impact of substances, in particular hazardous substances, present in batteries on the environment and on human health or the safety of persons, including the impact due to inappropriate discarding of waste batteries, such as littering or discarding as unsorted municipal waste.

That information shall be made available:

(a) at regular time intervals for each battery model from the moment the battery model concerned is being made available on the market for the first time in a Member State, as a minimum at the point of sale in a visible manner and through online platforms;

(b) in a language or languages which can be easily understood by end-users, as determined by the Member State in which the battery is to be made available on the market.

2. Producers shall make available to distributors and operators referred to in Articles 62, 65 and 66 and other waste management operators carrying out preparation for re-use, preparation for repurposing, or treatment, information regarding the safety and protective measures, including on occupational safety, applicable to the storage and collection of waste batteries.

3. From the moment that a battery is supplied within the territory of a Member State producers shall make available electronically, free of charge and upon request, to waste management operators carrying out preparation for re-use, preparation for repurposing or treatment, as far as it is needed by those operators to carry out those activities, the following battery model specific information regarding the proper and environmentally sound treatment of waste batteries:

(a) the processes for the dismantling of light means of transport, vehicles and appliances in a way that allows the removal of incorporated batteries;

(b) the safety and protective measures, including as regards occupational safety and fire protection, applicable to the storage, transport, and the treatment processes for waste batteries. The information referred to in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph shall identify the components and materials and the location of all hazardous substances in a battery, as far as it is needed by operators carrying out preparation for re-use, preparation for repurposing or treatment, in order to enable them to comply with the requirements of this Regulation.

That information shall be made available in a language or languages, which can be easily understood by the operators mentioned in the first subparagraph, as determined by the Member State on whose market the battery is to be made available.

4. Distributors that supply batteries to end-users shall permanently provide in their retail premises in an easily accessible and clearly visible manner for the end-users of the batteries, the information referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, and information on how the end-users may return waste batteries free of charge to the respective collection points established at retail outlets or on behalf of an online platform. That obligation shall be limited to the categories of batteries which the distributor or retailer has, or had, as new batteries in its offer. Distributors shall provide the information referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 also when they sell their products through online platforms that allow consumers to conclude distance contracts with traders.

5. The costs covered by the producer under Article 56(4), points (a) to (d), shall be shown separately to the end-user at the point of sale of a new battery.

6. Producers of the relevant category of batteries or producer responsibility organisations shall conduct awareness campaigns and offer incentives to encourage end-users to discard waste batteries in a manner that is in line with the information made available to end-users regarding the prevention and management of waste batteries in accordance with paragraph 1.

7. Where information is provided publicly to end-users under this Article, the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information in conformity with the relevant Union and national law shall be preserved.