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Guide

Battery Labelling and the Separate-Collection Symbol Explained

Battery Regulation

If you sell batteries, or products with batteries inside them, the labels on those batteries are no longer a minor detail. The Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 replaces the old Batteries Directive and sets out what information must appear on a battery, in what form, and by when. This guide explains the main labelling elements in plain English so you can check your products against them.

The Regulation is deliberately broad. It reaches anyone placing batteries on the EU market, whether you sell loose cells, replacement packs, or finished goods such as toys, tools and electronics that contain batteries. That wide scope is why labelling deserves attention even if batteries feel like a side line in your catalogue.

The crossed-out wheeled-bin symbol

The most recognisable mark is the crossed-out wheeled bin. It tells the consumer that the battery must not go in general household waste and should instead be handed in for separate collection. This separate-collection symbol underpins the whole recycling system: without it, batteries end up in landfill or, worse, in the fire risk of a mixed-waste stream.

The symbol has to be visible, legible and durable. A sticker that peels off after a week does not meet the requirement. Where a battery is too small to carry the symbol directly, the mark can appear on the packaging and in the accompanying documents instead.

Capacity and chemistry

Beyond the bin symbol, the Regulation requires information about the battery’s capacity and its chemistry. Capacity tells buyers and recyclers how much energy the battery holds; chemistry, such as lithium-ion, nickel-metal-hydride or lead-acid, tells recyclers how the battery must be handled and what materials can be recovered.

  • Capacity, expressed in the appropriate unit for the battery type.
  • Chemistry, so the correct recycling route can be chosen.
  • The separate-collection (crossed-out bin) symbol.
  • Hazardous-substance markings where relevant.

Hazardous-substance markings

Some batteries contain metals such as lead, mercury or cadmium above defined thresholds. Where that is the case, the chemical symbol for the substance must appear beneath the wheeled-bin symbol. This warns handlers and recyclers that the battery needs particular care and helps route it to the right treatment process. If your batteries are free of these substances above the thresholds, you will not carry these extra marks, but you should be able to show why.

The QR code, from 2027

From 2027 batteries must also carry a QR code that links to information about the battery. The idea is that a printed label can only hold so much, so the QR code acts as a doorway to fuller data: collection guidance, composition, and, for the batteries in scope, the battery passport. Planning your artwork now to leave room for a scannable, durable QR code will save a redesign later.

How labelling connects to the battery passport

The QR code is also the practical entry point to the battery passport, which applies from 18 February 2027 for light means of transport (LMT) batteries, industrial batteries above 2 kWh and electric-vehicle batteries. If your products fall into those categories, the label and the passport are two ends of the same system, so treat them as one project rather than two.

Practical steps for sellers

Start by auditing what you actually sell. List every product that is a battery or contains one, then check each label against the elements above. Ask your suppliers for written confirmation that their batteries are correctly marked; if you import, that responsibility often lands on you rather than a distant manufacturer.

Labelling does not sit alone. Selling batteries also triggers extended-producer-responsibility (EPR) registration and take-back duties, which apply per Member State. So the label on the pack is one visible part of a larger set of obligations that includes registration and collection.

A correct label is cheap; a recall of mislabelled stock is not. Build the checks into your product-onboarding process rather than fixing labels one complaint at a time.

For the wider context, read the complete battery guide, the overview of the Batteries Regulation, or the short explainer on the battery passport.

This article is educational and is not legal advice.