Battery Passport & EU Battery Regulation
From 18 August 2026, every LMT, industrial (>2 kWh) and EV battery placed on the EU market needs a QR code linked to a Battery Passport. Prove Anything connects you to the SmartLinks Battery Passport playbook — a working blueprint for Regulation 2023/1542, Annex VI labelling and Article 11 removability.
What is a Battery DPP?
The Battery Passport is the EU's sector-specific Digital Product Passport for batteries, mandated by Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. It is the single most demanding DPP on the European roadmap: structured data on chemistry, carbon footprint, supply-chain due diligence, state of health and end-of-life — all reachable from one QR code on the battery.
Prove Anything is the authority site for the Connected Products platform. The operational playbook — fields, validators, GS1 resolver and back-office — lives on SmartLinks. Start with the Battery Compliance Deep Dive for an eight-tab walkthrough of Article 11 removability, Annex VI labelling, the carbon-footprint declaration and EPR registration.
Building a cordless tool, e-bike or power station? The pack and the host product are governed by different regulations. Read Does your cordless drill need two DPPs? for the practical answer on battery vs electronics passports.
What a Battery Passport must carry
Annex VI, Article 11, GS1 Digital Link and the Passport data model — the four pillars of a Regulation 2023/1542-ready battery.
QR + GS1 Digital Link
A single ISO/IEC 18004 QR per battery, resolving via GS1 Digital Link to the Battery Passport — the same resolver pattern the EU ESPR uses for other DPPs.
Annex VI labelling
Manufacturer ID, battery category, weight, capacity, chemistry, hazardous substances and the separate-collection symbol — printed or e-labelled per Annex VI.
EPR & end-of-life
Producer-responsibility registration per member state, with recycled-content declarations for cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel from 2031.
Article 11 removability
Design guidance and documentation flows so portable batteries meet the 2027 removability and replaceability requirement.
EU Battery Regulation timeline
Key deadlines for placing batteries on the EU market — the 18 August 2026 QR deadline is the headline date for Battery Passport rollout.
18 Feb 2024
Regulation 2023/1542 in force
The EU Battery Regulation replaces the 2006 Battery Directive across all member states.
18 Aug 2024
Carbon footprint declaration
EV batteries must publish a carbon-footprint declaration; industrial and LMT batteries follow on a staggered timeline.
18 Aug 2025
Due diligence obligations
Economic operators placing batteries on the EU market must implement supply-chain due diligence for cobalt, lithium, nickel and natural graphite.
18 Aug 2026
QR code + Battery Passport
Every LMT, industrial (>2 kWh) and EV battery placed on the EU market must carry a QR code linked to a Battery Passport, plus Annex VI labelling.
18 Aug 2027
Removability & replaceability
Article 11: portable batteries in consumer products must be readily removable and replaceable by the end user.
Full month-by-month timeline with worked examples lives in the SmartLinks Battery Compliance Deep Dive.
The Battery Passport data model
Eight data domains, scoped by role: public, notified body, recycler, market-surveillance authority. The GS1 Digital Link resolver carries identity; the SmartLinks platform Hub carries the data.
- General battery & manufacturer information
- Compliance, certifications & test reports
- Carbon-footprint declaration (per Annex II)
- Materials composition & critical raw materials
- Recycled & renewable content
- Supply-chain due-diligence report
- State of health, performance & durability (live)
- Repair, dismantling & end-of-life instructions
Battery Passport FAQ
What is a Battery Passport?
A Battery Passport is the EU-mandated Digital Product Passport for batteries under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. Every LMT, industrial (>2 kWh) and EV battery placed on the EU market from 18 August 2026 must carry a QR code that resolves to a structured digital record covering composition, performance, supply chain and end-of-life.
Which batteries need a Battery Passport?
Light Means of Transport (LMT) batteries — e-bikes, e-scooters — industrial batteries with capacity above 2 kWh, and electric-vehicle (EV) batteries. Portable batteries below 2 kWh are exempt from the Passport but still subject to Annex VI labelling and Article 11 removability rules.
When does the EU Battery Regulation Battery Passport take effect?
18 August 2026 is the QR-code and Battery Passport deadline. Carbon-footprint declarations begin earlier (from 18 August 2024 for EVs), and Article 11 removability for portable batteries applies from 18 August 2027.
Is the Battery DPP the same as the ESPR Digital Product Passport?
They share the same GS1 Digital Link QR pattern and DPP philosophy, but the legal basis is different. Batteries are governed by Regulation 2023/1542 (sector-specific). Most other product categories — textiles, electronics, furniture — fall under the ESPR (Regulation 2024/1781). A cordless drill is the classic edge case: the tool needs an ESPR DPP and the pack needs a Battery Passport.
What does Annex VI labelling require?
Manufacturer name and ID, battery category, manufacturing date and place, weight, capacity, chemistry, presence of hazardous substances above thresholds, and the crossed-out wheeled-bin symbol. Most fields can be printed or shown via an e-label that is also reachable through the Passport QR.
Ready for 18 August 2026?
Launch your Battery Passport on the SmartLinks platform — GS1 Digital Link QR, Annex VI label data, carbon-footprint declaration and EPR fields all in one place.