Commercial Information Circulars

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e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/2/11

13 December 2013

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 995/2013

European Union (EU) * : Control on Recycling Processes of Waste Batteries and Accumulators

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 449/2012 dated 13 June 2012, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union has adopted a Regulation to amend Directive 2006/66/EC concerning the placing on the market of portable batteries and accumulators containing cadmium intended for use in cordless power tools, and of button cells with low mercury content. Details are set out in the European Parliament and the Council Directive 2013/56/EU, which can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:329:0005:0009:EN:PDF

DETAILS

2.Directive 2006/66/EC prohibits the placing on the market of portable batteries and accumulators, including those incorporated into appliances that contain more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight or 0.0005% of mercury by weight. However, portable batteries and accumulators containing cadmium intended for use in cordless power tools and button cells with a mercury content of no more than 2% by weight are exempted from the ban.

3.The Commission has reviewed the exemption of portable batteries and accumulators containing cadmium, and considered that the prohibition of the use of cadmium should be extended to portable batteries and accumulators intended for use in cordless power tools since suitable cadmium-free substitutes for such applications are available on the market. As for the button cells with low mercury content, since the Union button cell market is already experiencing a shift towards mercury-free button cells, it is therefore appropriate to prohibit the marketing of button cells with mercury content exceeding 0.0005% by weight. The Directive shall enter into force on 30 December 2013.

ENQUIRIES

4.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5556.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Anita WONG)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

*The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.