EU Battery Passport Regulation — What US Importers Need to Know

The conflict minerals due diligence requirement is the part that's going to catch US companies off guard. Documented evidence that cobalt and lithium weren't sourced from conflict-affected areas — per OECD guidance — requires going multiple tiers deep into the supply chain. For companies sourcing cells from Chinese manufacturers where upstream supply chains aren't transparent, this is a real compliance challenge, not a paperwork exercise.

The certification pipeline being backlogged as August approaches is a significant warning. EU-accredited third-party verification bodies have finite capacity. Companies that wait until June or July to engage will find waitlists that push them past the deadline. Early engagement is the only answer — the article is right to flag this explicitly.