Karsten Kurz Urges EU to back lead batteries for a sustainable future

At Exide Technologies we operate 11 manufacturing and 3 recycling facilities sites across Europe, employing 5,000 people directly (and many more through our European supply chain).  Headquartered in Paris, our manufacturing footprint is Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Italy, The Netherlands and France.

Our business is energy storage; we make advanced batteries, using two essential and complementary technologies: lead and lithium. 

Our products underpin many essential applications all of which are critical to a successful and growing economy – from batteries supporting hybrid and electric on road vehicles to batteries supplying energy to industrial vehicle’s and batteries vital back-up systems for data centres and hospitals.

We also make batteries for defence applications: from batteries supporting submarines, to specialist batteries for tanks and other military vehicles.

All made in Europe and recycled in Europe.

Europe needs an eco-system of different battery technologies for a wide variety of application in order to fulfil our own needs and in order to compete globally. We are technology agnostic, which is key to supporting battery technologies to innovate and develop here.

One of Europe’s greatest strengths is that we promote stability and predictability on the world stage. And it is just as important that we create the same conditions for companies operating in Europe.

As EU President Ms Von der Leyen put it: “In today's world, maintaining Europe as an economic powerhouse is a matter of collective security.”

Our commitment is to make advanced batteries in Europe, and recycle them in Europe.

Exide Technologies has a proud track record of manufacturing and recycling lead batteries in a closed loop – ALL lead batteries collected in Europe are recycled and re-used to make new batteries. Now we’re applying that knowledge and skill to recycling lithium batteries at our facility in Spain, helping ensure that Europe can recycle and re-use critical raw materials.

And we’re committed to decarbonisation and the transition to a ‘clean’ industry – let me give you one example, in Portugal, we operate state-of-the-art solar installations, powering our manufacturing and our recycling facility with advanced lead battery energy storage.

We have reduced carbon emissions at these sites by 20% and more and more companies will I hope follow this model in the years ahead.

Our business is strategically autonomous – our raw materials (most of them recycled) come from Europe and we distribute our batteries in Europe but also serve markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Above all, we have a highly adaptable and capable workforce. We must keep their skills here in Europe.

And - of course - we comply with a whole raft of existing European and domestic legislative and regulatory requirements to protect employees, the environment and the community.

So our message to policy makers is straightforward. Please do allow us to continue to operate, to innovate, to compete. We don’t seek special assistance. But we do seek a level playing field. We all want to see costs reduced, be they energy or other compliance requirements.

Please don’t increase the regulatory burden. And where regulatory measures are necessary make sure they are proportionate and risk-based.

But we also see a couple of regulatory items that need to be resolved. In the past, we have seen efforts to authorise lead under REACH, essentially sending a signal that lead is banned and acting as a disincentive to invest. This approach is highly counterproductive and has to stop. We hope that the REACH revision later this year will consider that.

I’m sorry to say that batteries are a typical example for unnecessary burden and threat from overlapping legislation. Currently we have three regimes reviewing and restricting the use of substances in batteries.

The quite outdated review scheme of substance bans and exemptions under the ELV Directive from 2000.

The evaluation, classification, restriction and authorization scheme under REACH. Also a legislation that is 15 years old and the new kid on the block, the review and restriction scheme mandated by Article 6 of the EU Battery Regulation.

It won’t surprise you that our industry is not so happy with the three regimes all heading for the same target – making products safer and more sustainable. It should also not surprise you that battery industry wants to have the battery substances regulated under one piece of legislation – preferably the Battery Regulation – only.

Finally, I would like to mention the metals action plan, published earlier today, as one example where we need policy makers to think more broadly about Europe’s industrial needs. It focuses on a few key metals – which are important, like steel - but I fails to include the importance of a much wider group of metals like lead which are essential to our competitiveness and our autonomy. This is the kind of joined up thinking we need, and I’d urge the Commission to think about all the metals necessary to boost growth, to innovate and to defend ourselves, both economically and militarily.

As a company we do not stand still. We invest and we innovate. That is why the Clean Industrial Deal must be on the side of industry so that we can compete, grow and continue to make it in Europe.