EU law requiring easier iPhone battery replacement inches closer to enactment
The European Union is moving closer to enacting a law that will not just require smartphones like the iPhone to have easier battery repairs, but it will also mandate how much of a battery must be reclaimable after recycling.
The EU wants to improve the sustainability, durability, and performance of batteries
By a vote of 587 in favor, nine against, and 20 abstentions, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have approved an agreement made with the Council to revamp European Union regulations about batteries and waste. The legislation represents the most recent endeavor within the "Right to Repair" movement, compelling companies to manufacture their products to make it easy for do-it-yourself repairs.
Some of the important parts of the legislation include:
- A compulsory carbon footprint declaration and label for certain types of batteries.
- Designing portable batteries in appliances so consumers can easily remove and replace them.
- A digital battery passport for certain types of batteries.
- A due diligence policy for all economic operators, except for SMEs.
- Stricter waste collection targets for portable and LMT batteries.
- Minimum levels of materials recovered from waste batteries.
- Minimum levels of recycled content from manufacturing and consumer waste for use in new batteries.
Certain provisions will probably become effective later in 2023, while others will be implemented at a later date. For example, it has a goal of 45% of more strict waste collection targets for portable batteries by 2023.
Looking ahead, the EU aims to achieve a minimum recycling threshold of 95% for materials derived from waste batteries by the year 2031.
In December 2020, the European Commission introduced a regulation proposal concerning batteries and waste batteries. The primary objective is to reduce the environmental and social consequences across all phases of the battery life cycle.
After the conclusive vote in plenary, the Council will now need to officially endorse the rules. Then, they will be published in the EU Official Journal in the near future and will come into effect.
Companies such as Apple, which sells battery-powered products within the EU, are expected to be impacted by these regulations. However, Apple and other companies will likely fight the implementation of these rules.
At present, Apple has established an official Self Repair Program, offering individuals access to parts and tools necessary for repairing their devices, including battery replacements.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
"Designing portable batteries in appliances so consumers can easily remove and replace them"
The earlier drafts mentioned design so that qualified personnel could readily change a battery without needing special tools and damaging the device or battery.
It will be worth keeping an eye on the final text, which for me, isn't loading at the moment.
First the plug thing now this...it won't be long before we're back to using big clunky products.
It's an attempt to bring the legislation into line with current EU goals with right to repair, consumer protection and information.
There is quite literally a lot to like.
Q2: is the manufacturer able to identify the proportion of the increased cost for the device as the EU cost?
Q3: does this also apply to EVs? (exactly this scenario ktappe).
For one, a hood of a car have to be easy to open because the owners and any maintenance persons must open the hood of a car, hundreds of times, in the life of the car. That is not the case with modern electronic devices. The average owner only needs to open their electronic device to change the battery, once every 2 to 3 years and maybe longer. That's only if they keep their device that long.
Cars are designed with many user replaceable parts (under the hood) that are meant to be replaced under normal wear or under regular maintenance. Cars also have parts under the hood that only the dealer and properly train mechanics using specialized tools can replace. And cars also have parts under the hood that are not meant to be user replaceable because they are meant to last the lifetime of the car (under normal wear.).
Modern electronic devices are designed with parts that are meant to last the life of the device. And even the batteries are designed to only need replacing just once for the original owner and maybe twice for the life of the device. My 17 year old iPod 5th is on it's second battery (the original one lasted over 6 years) and still have over 10hrs of use per charge. Granted I'm not using it nearly as much now, as i was in the first 6 years. But never the less, I only needed to open it up just once in 17 years. My wife iPhone 7 was given to her by my brother 3 years ago, who bought it brand new in 2016. I opened it up and replaced the battery in it 2 years ago. (Maybe 30 minutes work. Would have been a lot less if i had lot smaller hands. But for once, pulling the tab to pull back and remove the double sided tape gluing down the battery, actually worked.) So in 7 years, that iPhone 7 just needed to be open once and it will become obsolete by the time it needs another battery. And if anything else goes bad, it's off to the recycle bin as it's no longer worth the cost of repairing. Even if it only requires the removal of 2 screws to open up and I can do it myself.
No one buys a modern electronic mobile device wondering how easy it would to open, so in case they need to replace the logic board or camera lens or WiFi antennae or power button or charging board or to look for a blown SMD fuse, etc.. There is no required regular maintenance that requires the opening up of the device. Most consumers don't even care how easy it would be open to replace the battery or screen, as it's beyond most average consumers ability and desire, to do so. Even if it were only to require the removal of 2 philips screws.
I know many friend's wives (not to be sexist) that don't know how to open the hood of their car because they never had any reasons or desire to. Even after driving their cars for years, not one of them would know where the safety latch is located or know why every car (that i know of) have a safety latch still holding down the hood, after popping it open using the inside lever.
The correct route would be to form an ISO standard for mobile phones, including battery replacement, charging etc., and let the manufacturer choose whether or not to comply.
The EU is increasingly behaving like a dictator to the World - the opposite of what it was created for.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_effect
Don't be so sure that the EU don't want to dictate anything to the World. Or that they are only concern about making laws and regulations for the good of the EU.
The phrase was coined by law professor Anu Bradford in 2012. Here's the article she penned in 2012 while a law professor at Columbia Law School. It's a long read but just skimming over the each topic will give you a good idea what she is referring to with the "Brussels Effect'.
https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1081&context=nulr&httpsredir=1&referer=
She later came out with a book in 2020, titled ..... "The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anu_Bradford
But to fair, the phrase was a take off of "The California Effect", that was coined in the mid 90's to describe how the State of California was able to forced companies to apply CA much stricter environmental policies through out the US because they did not what to make products with different standards for different States and they could not ignore CA large market power. And is still happening today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_effect
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/livestock/article/2021/04/12/california-law-control-production
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/skittles-ban-passes-in-the-california-state-assembly/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/us/gavin-newsom-california-effect.html
If the all the US was the World, CA would be the EU.