Regulations on recycling lithium-ion batteries in different areas,
Lithium Ion Batteries,

▍BSMI Introduction Introduction of BSMI certification

BSMI is short for Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, established in 1930 and called National Metrology Bureau at that time. It is the supreme inspection organization in Republic of China in charge of the work on national standards, metrology and product inspection etc. The inspection standards of electrical appliances in Taiwan are enacted by BSMI. Products are authorized to use BSMI marking on the conditions that they are in compliance with safety requirements, EMC testing and other related tests.

Electrical appliances and electronic products are tested according to the following three schemes: type-approved (T), registration of product certification(R) and declaration of conformity (D).

▍What is the standard of BSMI?

On 20 November 2013, it is announced by BSMI that from 1^st, May 2014, 3C secondary lithium cell/battery, secondary lithium power bank and 3C battery charger are not permitted to access to Taiwan market until they are inspected and qualified according to the relevant standards (as shown in table below).

▍Why MCM?

● In 2014, rechargeable lithium battery became mandatory in Taiwan, and MCM began to provide the latest information about BSMI certification and the testing service for global clients, especially those from mainland China.

● High Rate of Pass: MCM has already help clients to obtained more than 1,000 BSMI certificates till now in one go.

● Bundled services: MCM helps clients successfully enter multiple markets in worldwide through one-stop bundled service of simple procedure.

In America, the federal, state or regional governments own the right of disposing and recycling lithium-ion batteries. There are two federal laws related to lithium-ion batteries recycling. The first one is Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act. It requires companies or shops selling lead-acid batteries or nickel–metal hydride batteries should accept waste batteries and recycle them. The method of recycling lead-acid batteries will be seen as the template for the future action on recycling lithium-ion batteries. The second law is Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). It builds up the framework of how to dispose non-dangerous or dangerous solid waste. The future of Lithium-ion batteries recycling method may under the management of this law.
EU has drafted a new proposal (Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL concerning batteries and waste batteries, repealing Directive 2006/66/EC and amending Regulation (EU) No 2019/1020). This proposal mentions poisonous materials, including all kinds of batteries, and the requirement on limitations, reports, labels, the highest level of carbon footprint, the lowest level of cobalt, lead, and nickel recycling, performance, durability, detachability, replaceability, safety, health status, durability and supply chain due diligence, etc. According to this law, manufacturers must provide information of batteries durability and performance stats, and information of batteries materials source. The supply-chain due diligence is to let end users know what raw materials are contained, where do they come from, and their influences on the environment. This is to monitor the reuse and recycle of batteries. However, publishing the design and material sources supply chain may be a disadvantage for European batteries manufacturers, therefore the rules are not officially issued now.