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From 2024 onward, batteries without verified lifecycle data risk losing access to the European market. The transition to sustainable energy systems requires new levels of transparency and accountability. The EU circularity goal examines how batteries perform across their lifecycle, from production to use and eventual recycling.
Decoding Global Battery Passport Standards breaks down the data requirements, regulatory scope, timelines, and technical foundations of Battery Passports under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, helping manufacturers, importers, and supply-chain partners prepare for compliance.
The Battery Passport is a digital record mandated by the EU Battery Regulation for certain categories of batteries. It provides verified, standardised lifecycle data covering origin, composition, performance, carbon footprint, and end-of-life handling.
Introduced as part of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which replaced the Battery Directive (2006/66/EC), the passport is designed to support traceability, circularity, and regulatory enforcement across the battery value chain. You can get a detailed journey from Battery Directive to Batteries Regulation.
The EU’s circularity goals require clear answers to fundamental questions:
As battery demand accelerates, particularly from EVs and energy storage, traditional documentation is no longer sufficient. Battery Passports create a single, verifiable source of truth that supports:
The Scope: Which Batteries Need a Passport?
Battery Passports are mandatory for the following categories:
LMT Batteries (Light Means of Transport)
Batteries used in e-bikes, e-scooters, and similar vehicles are subject to specific collection, removability, and traceability rules.
EV Batteries
All batteries used in electric vehicles require a carbon footprint declaration and lifecycle tracking, which are central requirements.
Industrial Batteries (> 2 kWh)
Including stationary energy storage systems and industrial applications exceeding 2 kWh capacity.
The regulation applies to all economic operators placing batteries on the EU market, including:
Each actor is responsible for contributing accurate data relevant to their role in the battery lifecycle.
The Battery Passport acts as a comprehensive digital repository, including:
This information supports both regulatory oversight and operational circularity.
To balance transparency with data protection, the regulation introduces tiered access:
Public Data (Accessible to Anyone)
Regulatory Data (EU Authorities & Market Surveillance)
Restricted Data (Repairers & Recyclers)
Manufacturers must calculate and declare total lifecycle emissions (kg CO₂e/kWh) for EV and industrial batteries.
Accurate calculation depends on upstream data from mining, refining, and processing — often outside the EU. This creates major challenges around:
ISO and IEC frameworks aim to harmonise these calculations and reduce inconsistencies.
The regulation sets progressively increasing minimum recycled content targets for cobalt, lithium, nickel, and lead.
In parallel, due diligence requirements obligate companies to:
Data Carrier
Battery Management Systems (BMS)
Interoperability Technology
Failure to comply can result in:
In addition to regulatory and technical frameworks, the battery passport ecosystem is gaining momentum in practice and research. The global battery passport market is projected to grow from $91 million in 2025 to $734 million by 2035, reflecting a CAGR of 23.2% (Fact.MR, 2024).
Industry leaders are already piloting these initiatives: in June 2024, Volvo launched the world’s first EV battery passport, setting a precedent ahead of EU regulatory deadlines (Reuters, 2024). Furthermore, ongoing academic research explores advanced algorithms for lifecycle traceability and performance monitoring, ensuring data integrity and enabling scalable implementation (arXiv, 2023).
Battery Passport compliance requires more than documentation. Platforms like DigiProd Pass enable:
International Battery Passport standards represent a defining shift in how products are regulated, tracked, and trusted. While challenges remain around interoperability and governance, the direction is clear.
Battery Passports are becoming the international language of responsible battery production.
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