From 2027, batteries will be the first product covered by the Digital Product Passport (DPP).
The complex composition of batteries and the explosive growth in demand challenge both supply security and sustainability. Read how DPP can play a crucial role in promoting recycling and ensuring better resource utilization.
With the DPP as a new requirement for batteries, the goal is to create transparency, boost recycling, and address supply chain challenges in a rapidly growing industry.
The composition and challenges of batteries
Batteries - especially lithium-ion batteries - are essential to modern technologies such as electric vehicles and portable devices. They are composed of critical raw materials like cobalt, lithium, nickel, and graphite, all of which require extensive mining and processing. Global demand for batteries is expected to increase 14-fold by 2030, threatening to exceed both production capacity and the availability of raw materials.
Supply issues and sustainability
The surge in battery demand is further strained by the difficulty of extracting raw materials quickly - and in environmentally responsible ways. These materials are not only scarce and expensive but also environmentally damaging to mine. That’s why recycling is no longer optional - it’s essential. Without effective recycling strategies, the industry risks creating massive waste streams and losing valuable resources, all while increasing its carbon footprint.
DPP’s role in sustainable battery management
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is being introduced as a solution to many of these challenges. With the DPP, detailed information about a battery’s origin, composition, and recycling potential becomes accessible to all stakeholders across the value chain.
This level of transparency enables more efficient resource management and greatly improves the ability to recover and reuse materials. With reliable DPP data, companies can ensure regulatory compliance,reduce waste, and actively support the transition to a circular economy.
Recycling and future-proofing
Consumers and companies have long been encouraged to return used batteries for recycling. With the DPP, this process becomes far more effective. Every battery will carry detailed, scannable information about its materials and recycling options. Over time, this will help ensure greater supplychain resilience and reduce dependency on mining - benefiting both the environment and the economy.
Batteries mark the beginning of the journey toward implementing the Digital Product Passport. By promoting transparency, recycling, and sustainability, DPP will be an essential tool for addressing the growing challenges in the battery industry and contributing to a greener future.