Lüdenscheid (Germany), 30 September 2026 – Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 on batteries and waste batteries mentions 18 August 2026 as the start date for a new label featuring technical data. This obligation does not yet apply; other markings, however, are already mandatory. SOMUVA UG (haftungsbeschränkt) summarises what the legal text states and where used batteries can be disposed of in Spain.
Why the August date does not yet count
Article 13, paragraphs 1 to 3, sets two possible dates: 18 August 2026 or 18 months after the entry into force of the implementing act provided for in paragraph 10, 'whichever is later'. The Commission was required to adopt that act by 18 August 2025. So far, there is only a draft, published on 15 December 2025 on the Commission's 'Have your say' portal and open for comments until 26 January 2026; its adoption remains pending. Therefore, the full label will not be mandatory before 2028.
The amendments to the Regulation approved to date do not affect Article 13. Proposal COM(2025) 981, which would specify the hazardous substances on the label, has still not been adopted and does not alter the dates.
What data the label will include
Annex VI, Part A, lists ten items: manufacturer identification, battery category and identification, place of manufacture, date of manufacture (month and year), weight, capacity, chemical composition, hazardous substances other than mercury, cadmium and lead, usable extinguishing agent, and critical raw materials present in a concentration of more than 0,1 % by weight. Non-rechargeable portable batteries shall also bear their minimum average duration in specific applications and the wording 'non-rechargeable'.
What is already mandatory
Since 18 August 2025, all batteries must bear the separate collection symbol, a crossed-out wheeled bin (Article 13, paragraph 4). It must cover at least 3 % of the largest side of the battery, or 1,5 % of the surface area for cylindrical ones, with a maximum of 5 × 5 cm. If this proportion results in a size smaller than 0,47 × 0,47 cm, it is not marked on the battery, but on the packaging, with at least 1 × 1 cm.
Below the bin, the letters Cd or Pb may appear. They mean that the battery contains more than 0,002 % cadmium or more than 0,004 % lead (Article 13, paragraph 5).
Since 18 August 2024, the manufacturer must indicate its name or registered trademark on the battery, a postal address with a single contact point and, where applicable, a website and email address, as well as a model identification and a batch, serial or product number (Article 38, paragraphs 6 and 7). If this is not possible, this data is transferred to the packaging or an accompanying document.
The QR code arrives in February 2027
From 18 February 2027, all batteries will carry a QR code (Article 13, paragraph 6). For portable batteries, it will provide access to, among other things, the label information, the EU declaration of conformity and information on waste prevention and management.
Where to dispose of used batteries in Spain
Since 18 August 2025, Article 64 requires end-users to discard used batteries separately from other waste, including mixed municipal waste. Article 66 allows individuals to hand them over at separate collection points established by public waste management authorities.
In Spain, Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soils entrusts local entities, as a mandatory service, with the collection of household waste, with a sufficient collection network that includes civic amenity sites or alternative collection points agreed upon by the local entity (Article 12.5.a). Royal Decree 106/2008 remains in force: according to its Article 10, the hand-over of used portable batteries is free of charge and does not require the purchase of new ones. A draft royal decree from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition that would repeal it was under public consultation until 3 September 2026 and has not yet been published in the BOE. To locate the nearest civic amenity site, the reference point is the local council.
'The full label is not yet mandatory, but the crossed-out wheeled bin must already appear on all batteries or, if they are too small, on their packaging,' explains Mustafa Celik, Managing Director of SOMUVA UG. 'This symbol indicates that the used battery should go to a separate collection point and not into the household bin.'
About SOMUVA UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
SOMUVA UG (haftungsbeschränkt), based in Lüdenscheid (Germany; Commercial Register of the Iserlohn Court, HRB 11627), operates the online shop Vapechamp,
Press contact
SOMUVA UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Karlstraße 4
58507 Lüdenscheid
Germany
Contact: Mustafa Celik (Managing Director)
Email: kontakt@vapechamp.de
Phone: +49 176 84749993
Web: https://vapechamp.de