RISBAT in 2025: A Highly Active Year of Outreach and Collaboration
RISBAT’s strong presence in national and European forums, driving cooperation, regulatory readiness, and progress toward a more circular battery ecosystem.
In 2025, the RISBAT consortium carried out an extensive programme of outreach, dissemination, and matchmaking activities across Europe. These actions enhanced the project’s visibility, supported regulatory alignment with Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, and strengthened cooperation with key stakeholders in the battery value chain.
Building a National Battery Collection Network
On 25 July 2025, Re‑Battery convened the 1st Working Group on EV Battery Management, bringing together 30 representatives from 20 EV importers to discuss harmonisation with EU Regulation 1542/2023, safe handling of damaged batteries, and tailored solutions for island regions.
Two online meetings on 5 and 18 September 2025 gathered Re‑Battery and contracted battery importers to coordinate the establishment of a national network of waste battery collection points. These discussions advanced cooperation among distributors, ELV facilities, public authorities, and voluntary collection points, laying the groundwork for a compliant national framework aligned with Articles 60–61 of the Regulation.
European-Level Policy Dialogue - EUCOBAT Engagement
RISBAT partners were actively involved in EUCOBAT activities throughout 2025.
EUCOBAT General Assembly (9 September, Valencia): Re‑Battery, Electrão, and SNRB contributed to discussions on the strategic direction of Europe’s collective battery systems.
Workshop on Article 61 (9 October, Amsterdam): Partners explored national approaches to waste SLI, industrial, and EV battery collection. The workshop contributed to EUCOBAT’s Recommendation Letter to the European Commission for harmonised implementation by 2027.
Meetings with Key European Organisations
Electrão also advanced RISBAT’s European cooperation efforts through two strategic bilateral meetings held on 22 October. In Belgium, the organisation met with the OeKO Institut to contribute to ongoing studies being prepared for the European Commission on the implementation of the EU Battery Regulation. These discussions offered an opportunity to share national experiences and provide input on regulatory challenges faced by PROs in RIS countries. On the same day in Lisbon, Electrão met with Ecopilas, Spain’s largest battery Producer Responsibility Organisation, which operates one of Europe’s most extensive collection networks with more than 35,500 points. The exchange focused on sharing operational practices, identifying areas for collaboration, and exploring how RISBAT’s outcomes could support more harmonised and efficient battery management across the Iberian region.
Conferences, Fairs & Industry Events
RISBAT partners showcased the project at several major European conferences:
- ICBR International Battery Conference (10–11 September, Valencia): SORTBAT’s CEO delivered a keynote on pre‑cycling, highlighting RISBAT as a key European initiative.
- 6th Electric Vehicle Conference (21 October, Athens): More than 180 participants from industry, academia, and public administration discussed electromobility, innovation, and circular economy practices.
- 7th Renewable & Storage Forum (22–23 October, Athens): Discussions focused on renewable energy, storage technologies, and circular management of PV panels and batteries.
- 89th Thessaloniki International Fair – TIF (6–14 September): With over 228,000 visitors, Re Battery engaged with professionals and public authorities on battery legislation and recycling challenges.
Public and Scientific Outreach
During the SORTBAT Open Company Day in Belgium (5 October), around 1,700 visitors toured the facilities, where RISBAT was prominently featured on demo batteries.
Scientific engagement continued at the CIRCUBATT Workshop in Ljubljana (28 November), where Alen Rupnik from the National Institute of Chemistry presented RISBAT in a session dedicated to battery recycling research.
Looking Ahead
The outreach and matchmaking activities of 2025 have significantly strengthened RISBAT’s presence at national and European levels. By engaging with policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and the public, the consortium has laid a strong foundation for advancing sustainable, harmonised battery management practices across Europe.