China Interim Measures for the Recovery and Comprehensive Utilization of Retired Power Batteries from New Energy Vehicles

An interim measure (Decree No. 73) jointly formulated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and five other authorities -- the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Market Regulation -- to manage the recovery and comprehensive utilization of retired power batteries from new energy vehicles (NEVs). Promulgated January 16, 2026, and effective April 1, 2026. It requires power battery companies and NEV manufacturers to register with a unified national power battery traceability and information platform, assign codes and affix labels to individual batteries, and fulfill collection obligations under an extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme. It covers the entire lifecycle of power batteries -- production, sale, use, disposal, collection, and utilization. The measure is enacted under the legal basis of the Circular Economy Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China and the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste, among others.