The battery regulation seminar, which addressed changes in battery producer responsibility, brought together the entire battery ecosystem. The topic was extremely timely, as the changes concerning waste management and producer responsibility under the EU Battery Regulation had just entered into force the previous day. The event at Heureka Science Centre in Vantaa gathered 240 participants from the battery sector, both on-site and online.
“Producer responsibility is not just an obligation – it is a strategic choice,” said Liisa-Marie Stenbäck, Managing Director of Recser Oy, in her opening speech.
“It is strategic above all because producer responsibility is corporate responsibility. It covers the entire life cycle of a product. In EU legislation, the producer responsibility obligations at the end of a product’s life cycle are referred to as extended producer responsibility, and the most effective way to fulfil them is usually by joining a producer responsibility organisation,” Stenbäck continued.
The seminar was organised by two battery producer responsibility organisations, Recser Oy and Akkukierrätys Pb Oy. Held on 19 August 2025 at Heureka in Vantaa, it brought together 240 stakeholders – producers, waste management operators, PRO representatives, authorities, and other representatives from both the public and private sectors.
“It was great to see that the seminar included representatives from the entire battery ecosystem. PROs are at the centre of this producer responsibility ecosystem, but the Battery Regulation requires all actors to take environmental impacts and circular economy conditions into account. Everyone is needed to make producer responsibility a reality,” said Johanna Alakerttula, Managing Director of Akkukierrätys Pb.
The seminar was part of a series of events jointly organised by Recser Oy and Akkukierrätys Pb Oy, exploring the changes the EU Battery Regulation brings for companies. Two years ago, the same stakeholders gathered at Heureka – then to address a new and emerging topic. Since then, more detailed aspects of the regulation have been covered through webinars.
The Battery Regulation seminar highlighted the legislative changes that had just come into force the previous day. Chapter VIII of the Regulation focuses on extended producer responsibility, which is central to achieving the overall objectives of the Regulation. Key changes include the new producer responsibility obligation for large industrial batteries and distributors’ take-back obligations.
The seminar addressed four themes: legislative requirements, renewal of producer responsibility systems, recyclers’ preparedness for change, and experiences from the EU level.
The Battery Regulation changes sparked discussion: “It will be a bit of a rumba, bigger for some, smaller for others”
The changes introduced by the Battery Regulation sparked much discussion at the seminar, both during Q&A sessions and over coffee breaks.
During a coffee break, Janne Peltola, Category Manager at MEKO Finland Oy, reflected on the Regulation from the perspective of corporate responsibility. He noted that the biggest change is in mindset.
“This strongly highlights corporate responsibility. Every company, regardless of size, must now and in the future operate responsibly and do their part. There is no room for free riders,” Peltola explained.
MEKO Finland Oy (formerly Koivunen Oy) is a Swedish listed company operating in Northern Europe. The company is an importer and wholesaler of automotive spare parts and also operates two of Finland’s largest repair shop chains, Fixus and Mekonomen.
Corporate responsibility was also emphasised when seminar participants answered, via the Mentimeter tool, why producer responsibility is important. Some of the responses were more colourful, but all of them highlighted producer responsibility as essential for the circular economy, saving the planet, and sharing collective responsibility.
More than 60 responses were received from participants.
According to Marko Salminen, Sales Manager at Enersys Europe Oy, the biggest change brought by the Regulation for their company concerns producers’ take-back obligations. Enersys Europe, primarily a manufacturer of lead batteries, is one of the world’s largest producers of industrial batteries.
“It will be a bit of a rumba, bigger for some, smaller for others. We want to ensure that we move batteries forward as quickly as possible to operators working with PROs, so that they don’t end up in the wrong channels from our collection points,” Salminen said.
He found the seminar valuable, as he is not personally involved with the Battery Regulation on a daily basis.
Helena Castrén, Chair of the Board at Recser Oy, has closely followed the changes introduced by the Regulation. During a coffee break, she reflected on the importance of hearing these topics explained by experts.
“When you hear these topics from the right people, it’s different from just reading about them yourself, as I too have done many times.”
She particularly appreciated the contributions of Johanna Routio (Ministry of the Environment), Jaana Mäenpää (Pirkanmaa ELY Centre), and Sinikka Koikkalainen (Häme ELY Centre).
“From the presentations of the legislative and supervisory authorities, you could sense their expertise. They really know where we are heading, and we have excellent dialogue partners. These three were honestly pretty amazing!” Castrén said.
Photos: Sus+Com Agency/Antti Partanen
Stay up to date with the progress and content of the Battery Regulation
As the producer organisations, it is important for us to remain up-to-date and share information on how the content of the EU’s Battery Regulation will affect the responsibility of producers of batteries and accumulators in particular.