2023-07-21 00:06:06
The Council of the European Union adopted a new regulation that will force mobile phone manufacturers to produce models that have removable and replaceable batteries by 2027.
The approved regulation also reinforces the sustainability standards for cell phone batteries, which include the recovery of materials, recycling efficiency and easy access.
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“The new rules will boost the competitiveness of the European industry and ensure that new batteries are sustainable and contribute to the ecological transition,” said Teresa Ribera, Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition, whose country currently holds the EU Council Presidency.
Cell phone batteries should be removable by 2027. (Photo: AdobeStock)
The Regulation will cover the entire life cycle of batteries – from their production to their reuse and recycling – and will guarantee that they are safe, sustainable and competitive, according to the Council in a press release.
“Batteries are key to the decarbonization process and the EU’s shift towards modes of transport with zero emissions,” explained Ribera.
Despite the fact that the new legislation is a victory for consumers and will effectively bring relief to environmental health, there are many who think that it would collide head-on with many of the advances in device design and development that have been achieved in recent years. Specifically, there is concern that it will lead to drastic changes to the design of the iPhone.
But this argument goes beyond an aesthetic question. Cell phone companies stopped making smartphones with openable cases because that configuration made the phones weaker. On the contrary, unibody designs, models that cannot be opened by users, are resistant to water and dust, have a more efficient internal structure, last longer, and are much thinner and more comfortable.
How the new smartphones should be from 2027
In its new regulations, the European Union did not specifically define what cell phones should be like or define what a removable battery means. The main requirement he mentions is that, from 2027, batteries must be easily removable by the user.
By that criteria, an iPhone, for example, technically has a removable and replaceable battery. For its part, in most Samsung models, opening the case and removing the battery is not so easy.
For this reason, the text of the regulation suggests that consumers can access the removal and replacement of the battery themselves, without resorting to specialists.
In any case, it is expected that there will be a change in the design of cell phones. Although this does not mean the return of phones with a battery cover, manufacturers will probably be forced to progressively modify the structure and design of their devices to make them more user-friendly almost needing to change the battery.
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