New legislation requires mobile phone batteries to be replaceable by 2027

To promote a sustainable and circular battery economy, the European Union passed legislation in June of last year, mandating that all smartphones sold within the EU must have batteries that can be easily removed and replaced by the end user without requiring special tools or expertise. While this is a positive development for consumers, it may conflict with recent design innovations as manufacturers will need to rethink the principles of their unibody water and dustproof “glass sandwich” design that relies heavily on the use of adhesives.