EU’s new battery rules could transform smartphone repairability and sustainability by 2027

The European Union has introduced comprehensive rules requiring most portable electronics to feature removable batteries, aiming to enhance repairability, reduce waste, and promote sustainable technology by 2027.

The European Union has enacted sweeping new rules that will require most portable electronics, including smartphones, to be designed so users can remove and replace batteries without specialised tools or heat by 18 February 2027, a move aimed at boosting repairability and cutting electronic waste. According to the Council’s regulation, the measures form part of a broader framework to improve battery safety, sustainability and market functioning.

Lawmakers have set a timetable that phases in related obligations: mandatory battery labelling and carbon-footprint information are due from 2026, while a QR-code system and stricter collection targets come later under the same package. Industry compliance requirements and durability standards are intended to harmonise product rules across the internal market and to prevent manufacturers from making batteries effectively non-replaceable.

Manufacturers are already exploring technical responses to meet the new rules without abandoning premium design cues. Media reports and patent filings suggest Google is examining assembly techniques that would reduce reliance on heavy adhesives and allow batteries to sit in a removable metal frame; the approach is said to be under consideration for a future foldable Pixel. These industry developments sit alongside the regulatory push for designs that permit easy, low-cost battery changes.

Regulators acknowledge the technical challenges manufacturers face in retaining features such as water resistance and wireless charging while making batteries user-replaceable. The legislation and expert analysis outline pathways , including specs for performance and durability , intended to ensure safety and functionality are maintained even as serviceability improves. Companies have signalled various engineering solutions; however, official conformity requirements and CE marking obligations for batteries will tighten from August 2024.

Policymakers argue the rules will also deliver environmental gains and cost savings for consumers. The regulation sets recovery and recycling targets , with consumer battery-collection goals stepping up towards 2027 , against a backdrop of millions of smartphones discarded annually. By making battery replacement simpler and cheaper, the measures aim to extend device lifespans and reduce the volume of e-waste entering treatment streams.

If the technical concepts now being trialled by manufacturers are implemented at scale, shoppers could soon find premium handsets that combine easier servicing with long-standing features such as water protection and wireless charging. The practical effect, regulators and industry advisers say, should be devices that are both more sustainable and less expensive to keep running over time.

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Source: Noah Wire Services