EU New Regulations Force Reform: Battery Metal Composition List Will Be Mandatory For Recycling From 2025

[March 8, 2025, Brussels] The EU Council today officially passed the amendment to the "Battery and Waste Battery Regulation", requiring that from 2025, all batteries entering the EU market must be accompanied by a metal composition list and a graded recycling system will be mandatory. The new regulations will restructure the global power battery industry chain, and the material system innovation of key components such as Copper BusBars will become the core of the industry's response.

 

 

According to regulatory requirements, the EU will establish a battery "digital passport" system to track the full life cycle data of batteries from production to recycling through QR codes. The key metal recycling targets will be implemented in stages: the lithium recycling rate will reach 50% in 2027, and the cobalt, nickel and copper recycling rates will reach 90%; the recycled content of lithium, cobalt and nickel will reach 6%, 16% and 6% respectively in 2031. The International Energy Agency (IEA)'s "Global Critical Mineral Outlook 2024" points out that if the EU's goals are fully implemented, by 2035, the country's dependence on lithium and cobalt imports can be reduced by 40%, alleviating the geopolitical risks of the supply chain.

 

The new regulations put forward higher requirements for conductive components such as busbars: recyclable materials must be used and easy to separate when the battery is disassembled. At present, the mainstream copper-based busbar faces environmental challenges due to lead-containing solder. Innovative solutions such as graphene composite Electrical Bus Bar and rare earth-free alloy busbars have become research and development hotspots.

 

 

 

With the implementation of the new EU regulations, countries have accelerated the introduction of supporting policies, forming a multi-dimensional competition pattern:

 

Policy dimension	EU	US	China	Australia
Core goals	Circular economy + supply chain localization	IRA Act + MSP Alliance	Dual carbon goals + resource integration	Resource export diversification
Recycling requirements	Lithium/cobalt recycling rate 6%/16% in 2031	Battery component localization rate 55% in 2029	Power battery recycling rate 95% in 2025	Key mineral production capacity doubled in 2030
Technical path	Battery passport + low-carbon smelting	Tax credit + advanced material research and development	Cascade utilization + solid-state battery breakthrough	Lithium mine production capacity expansion + processing capacity construction
Busbar adaptation	Lead-free + modular design	Lightweight + high conductivity	Mass production of graphene composite busbar	Upgrade of copper-based busbar

 

Data source: IEA "Global Critical Mineral Outlook 2024", policy documents of various countries

 

Facing the new EU regulations, companies are accelerating their technological layout:

 

1. Material innovation: The rare earth-free busbar developed by CATL uses aluminum alloy-graphene composite materials, which increases conductivity by 12% and reduces recycling costs by 28%.

2. Process optimization: BYD has developed laser welding technology to achieve seamless connection between busbars and battery cells, and improve disassembly efficiency by 40%.

3. Recycling network: GEM has established a "battery bank" with European car companies to achieve accurate recycling of high-value components such as Bus Electronics through a reverse logistics network.

 

The International Council on Clean Transportation predicts that by 2030, Busbar Connectors technology that adapts to the new regulations will reduce the cost of the battery's entire life cycle by 18%, pushing the price of electric vehicles into the $20,000 range.

 

The implementation of the new regulations will reshape the global battery industry landscape:

European localization is accelerated: Volkswagen and BMW plan to invest 8 billion euros to expand local battery factories and build supporting busbar production bases.
Chinese companies are under pressure: The EU market will account for 34% of China's battery exports in 2024, and car companies are forced to build factories in Europe or purchase local Tinned Copper BusBars.
The game between resource countries is escalating: Congolese cobalt mines and Australian lithium mining companies have signed long-term supply agreements with Europe, weakening China's processing advantages.

 

The IEA warned that if global recycling technology cannot be broken through, the gaps in lithium and cobalt will reach 200,000 tons and 80,000 tons respectively by 2030, and the recyclability of Galvanized busbar materials will become a key factor in determining production capacity.

 

"The new regulations are both challenges and opportunities." Experts from the China Electric Vehicle Hundred People's Association pointed out that Chinese companies need to break through in three dimensions:

1. Technical compliance: Develop Nickel plated Copper Bus Bar materials and recycling processes that meet EU standards.
2. Data transparency: Establish a traceability system for the entire industry chain to meet the requirements of the battery passport.
3. Regional layout: Integrate into the European localized supply chain through overseas factory construction or technical cooperation.

 

 

 

The implementation of the new EU regulations marks the entry of the global battery industry into a new stage of "compliance competition". As a key hub connecting energy and power, the technological innovation of the Copper ground Bus Bar will become the core of the breakthrough of enterprises. Driven by both policies and markets, a global competition around battery materials, recycling technologies and supply chain layout has been fully launched.