On January 10, the European Commission published new guidelines under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. Starting February 18, 2027, consumer electronics with portable batteries sold in the EU must be designed to allow users to remove and replace the battery during its lifetime, easily, safely, and without damaging the device.
Users should be able to do this either without any tools or with standard tools that are easy to buy. Special or custom tools can only be used if they are provided free with the product.
The product should include clear, easy-to-follow instructions on how to safely remove and replace the battery. These must be permanently available online.
In addition, companies need to ensure replacement batteries are available for at least five years after the last unit of a product is sold.
This will bring significant changes to many everyday electronics. For example, most TWS and Bluetooth speakers today have batteries fixed inside that cannot be removed, so they will need to be redesigned. Power banks, however, are not affected, as they are considered batteries themselves, not products containing batteries.
With 2027 still some time away, the EU may share more details in the future.
Let’s wait and see.
