• The „Batteriegesetz“ (BattG, the german Battery Rule) for manufacturers and traders foresees the duty to register in case they are the ones who trade batteries or/and products including batteries in germany for the first time. That means: if they are the ones to market these batteries into germany. The relevant authority for registration is the german „Umweltbundesamt“ (Ministry of Environment).
• The „Umweltbundesamt“ publishes a list of all registered manufacturers with the types and labels oft those firstly in germany traded batteries.
• All kinds of batteries have to be registered, the authority differentiates between primary and secondary cells as well as between batteries for devices, for industry and for vehicles.
• Attention: Distributors and intermedairies, who trade batteries of non-registered manufacturers, be it on purpose or not, are to be treated like manufacturers themselves.

Banned substances:

The following limits are to be respected in batteries:

• Mercury with more than  0,0005 percent by weight (with exception of button cells: max. two percent by weight).
• Cadmium: max. 0,002 percent by weight (in batteries for devices).
• Lead: max. 0,004 percent by weight.
• Expections are for mobile electronic tools, emergency- and alarmsystems including emergeny lighting as well as medical equipment.

Disposal:

• Manufacturers of batteries for devices have to join a take-back-system or to drive their own system.
• Manufacturers of vehicle- and industry batteries have to supply appropriate take-back-units for free.
• The aims of collecting for all take back systems in germany are defined with 35 pecent sin-ce september 26th, 2012 and a minimum of 45 percent from sept. 26th, 2016.

Labelling duties:

• The batteries have to be labelled with the symbol of the crossed waste bin.
• The capacaties of batteries for devices or those for vehicles have to be named.
• The labels have to match the relevant minimum sizes.
• In shops must be placed visually easy recognizable hints on where to return batteries for free, on the legislated duty of the consumer to return batteries, on the meaning of the symbol (crossed dust bin) as well as the possible impact of the batteries, containing hazardous substances, on the environment.
• Companies, who trade batteries in(to) several EU markets, have to register their products in each of them after the there relevant rules at the time.

By the way: With the implementation of BattG in ElektroG (§ 4) there was installed a duty to design products in a way, that batteries and accumulators are changeable easily.

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