The EU wants to prevent manufacturers from making it difficult for consumers to change their devices' batteries safely and cheaply.
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00:00 Imagine being able to replace the battery of your cell phone, computer or tablet yourself without difficulty.
00:08 This is the goal of the new European regulation on batteries,
00:12 which aims to facilitate the processing of this waste and make the economy more circular.
00:17 By 2027, end-users must be able to remove and replace the batteries installed in these devices.
00:24 Manufacturers sometimes use tricks to make this more difficult.
00:29 Every time we remove a battery, we heat the back a little so that it becomes a little more flexible
00:38 so as not to tear off other components by removing the battery.
00:44 You see, for example, here, by doing this, the camera comes off.
00:47 So you have to be careful. These are little tricks like that that must be avoided.
00:52 The regulations state that changing a battery must not require heat or a solvent to disassemble it,
00:58 nor shall the user have to resort to special tools.
01:02 Some brands, for example, invent screwdrivers and screwdrivers that cannot be repaired.
01:10 But it's not very smart because a new screwdriver is simply created.
01:15 Manufacturers can also include a program in their phones that gives a warning message
01:21 to indicate that it's not an official battery, a message that often confuses consumers.
01:26 The goal of this regulation is to make repair, collection and recycling easier.
01:31 By 2027, two-thirds of device batteries must be collected.
01:36 This should help reduce e-waste as more than 150 million smartphones are thrown away each year.
01:43 year.
01:43 (door opening)
01:45 (whooshing)