The New South Wales (NSW) Government in Australia has passed a new law to make battery stewardship programmes for lithium-ion batteries mandatory to reduce the risk of battery fires.
The Product Lifecycle Responsibility Act 2025, passed on April 9, means manufacturers and sellers of products with lithium-ion batteries must adhere to requirements on:
- design and manufacturing
- reuse and recycling
- and safe disposal of the product.
There were 384 lithium-ion battery incidents responded to by the NSW fire department in 2024. This includes at least 33 injuries and multiple deaths according to authorities.
The bill seeks to strengthen existing legislation as well as address voluntary schemes it says collects too little batteries, which it commented often go straight into landfills.
Brand owners will have to notify product stewardship organisations before supplying a regulated product in New South Wales, it said.
Lawmakers also state that the bill will help improve the designs of lithium-ion batteries, alongside the new NSW Fair Trading design standards set for lithium-ion batteries in e-mobility devices.
The Battery Stewardship Council (BSC) commended the passing of the Bill, and said: “BSC has been calling for regulation for a number of years and congratulates the NSW Government for taking urgent action. This work is a progression from the Environment Ministers Meeting in December. NSW has specifically designed the Act so that it can readily be adopted by other jurisdictions, paving the way for a nationwide, government-backed approach to battery recycling.”
Penny Sharpe, NSW environment minister, said: “Batteries power our modern life, and we will need them more as we decarbonise our economy. But without adequate safety and care we will see further deaths, injuries, and property damage. Our product stewardship obligations will be a critical step in protecting firefighters, waste and resource recovery workers, and the broader community from dangerous and preventable battery fires.”
Update
Suzanne Toumbourou, CEO of the Australian Council of Recycling said, “The Product Lifecycle Responsibility Act 2025, which came into force in April 2025 after being passed by the NSW Parliament, establishes a legislative framework that empowers the NSW Government to implement mandatory product stewardship schemes for specific products through future regulations. This enables brand owners to be held responsible for managing the environmental and health impacts of their products across their entire lifecycle, in line with circular economy principles.
“In a move strongly welcomed by the recycling sector, the NSW Government has identified batteries and consumer electronics as the first products that will be regulated under the Act. These items represent the fastest growing fire risk in the state and are causing particular harm across waste and recycling systems, which are facing more than 10,000 battery-related fires nationally each year.
“While the regulation itself has not yet been introduced, we strongly support this direction and look forward to its development.” Established in 1983, the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) is the peak industry body for recycling in Australia.
