Strategic (Re)Design of Devices with Portable Batteries : Adapting to Upcoming European Union Battery and Waste Battery Regulation

The European Union’s new battery regulation aims to improve sustainability, safety, and create a circular economy for all member states. This regulation brings therefore major changes and challenges to the (re)design of electronic devices with batteries, especially in ensuring that batteries are removable and replaceable. The aim of this research is to set out a methodology on how to deal with these changes and challenges. To explore this in a practical way, a design case study was carried out. This case study helped to understand the regulation and the implementation for other electronic devices. Consequently, this case was used to develop the Ecomply Methodology (EM). The EM provides practical and easy-to-use tools to ensure that battery-powered devices meet the regulation. The EM is intended to support decision-making in three types of users, i.e., designers, management, and external agencies or manufacturers.