December 2009: Enhesa publishes its 2009 Batteries Report December 9th. The report is a detailed comparative analysis of the regulatory requirements in nine European countries compared to the EU Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC.

Anyone putting batteries on the market, standalone or incorporated in products, is confronted with a myriad of regulatory requirements. Regulations cover such items as different heavy metal restrictions, different labeling requirements, different product registration/notification requirements, different market reporting obligations, different taxes and fees, and different take-back and disposal requirements.
In general, the requirements of the Batteries Directive appear to have been fairly consistently transposed. A major stumbling block for companies looking to market batteries in more than one European country is that each country seems to have invented a different system to cope with the take-back and disposal obligations.

Enhesa Director, Thierry Dumortier, comments: "One of perhaps the most surprising results to come from the comparison was that, of the countries included, only the UK chose to implement the exemption to the requirements of the Batteries Directive for small producers. This means that many more small producers of batteries may be affected by the requirements of the Batteries Directive than were originally intended by the EU. As soon as you send your Christmas card with some battery-driven animation to someone in Europe, you are likely to be violating the requirements."

So if you live in a major European Country unfortunately the Jolly Old Elf — Santa Clause will probably be a law breaker this Christmas.

The 2009 Enhesa Batteries Report is available free of charge on the Enhesa website www.enhesa.com.

Enhesa's product stewardship services help businesses ensure products are in compliance with local requirements in markets around the world. Services include using regulatory developments to expand markets, building product compliance systems, and improving existing compliance programs. Products supported range from cosmetics and household products, electrics, vehicles, power stations, and airplanes.

Enhesa is an international environmental, health and safety consulting firm, providing regulatory compliance assurance support to businesses worldwide. Over the past 20 years, Enhesa has developed a range of products and services tailored to business' needs. Its team of highly trained and experienced, multilingual consultants is in a unique position to keep you ahead of the latest regulatory and policy issues as they unfold in over 130 countries and jurisdictions around the globe.

Contact Info: Gaye Van Der Eerden
Enhesa
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Phone: (202) 552-1090
Fax: (202) 747-2874
gv@enhesa.com
www.enhesa.com

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