About The New EU Battery Regulation - with Eric Ruyters, EUCOBAT, on the Sustainable Living Podcast
- acum 2 zile
- 2 min de citit
Sustainable Living Podcast | Season 10 – Voices for Circular Change | Episode #8
On 12 May 2026, Bucharest hosted one of the most relevant conversations about the future of Europe's battery ecosystem. At the event "Romania – Sweden: Battery Recycling | Challenges and Opportunities", organised by the Ministry of Environment, the Embassy of Sweden in Romania and the Sustainable Living Podcast, Eric Ruyters, General Secretary of EUCOBAT, outlined the fundamental transformation brought by the new EU Battery Regulation.
That conversation continued in podcast format, as Nicoleta Talpes sat down with Eric Ruyters to explore in depth what this regulation truly means not just for industry, but for Europe's entire circular economy ambition.
From waste management to full lifecycle responsibility
Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 marks a fundamental paradigm shift: Europe no longer treats batteries merely as waste to be managed at end-of-life, but as strategic resources to be tracked, optimised and recovered across their entire lifecycle from production and traceability to recycling and critical raw material recovery.
In the episode, Eric Ruyters explains why this transition was necessary, what Extended Producer Responsibility means under the new framework, and how Europe can build a truly functional circular battery ecosystem.
Harmonised or fragmented implementation?
One of the central themes of the conversation is the risk of fragmented implementation across Member States. As the European organisation bringing together battery Producer Responsibility Organisations, EUCOBAT is at the forefront of this challenge. Eric Ruyters elaborates on what a genuine level playing field looks like and what happens if Member States move at different speeds.
Romania and Eastern Europe: opportunity or delay?
The episode dedicates significant attention to the role Romania and Eastern Europe can play in the new battery circular economy what the concrete opportunities are, what investments and partnerships are most urgently needed, and what risks arise if actors in the region fail to act now.
🎧 Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and all major podcast platforms.🔗 www.sustainableliving.ro
Comentarii